Port Harcourt, Nigeria – October 17, 2024: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the Child Rights Reporting Curriculum, a new initiative aimed at enhancing child rights journalism education in Nigeria. This curriculum is designed to equip aspiring journalists with the necessary skills to effectively report on child-related issues.
At a one-day zonal outreach event held at the University of Port Harcourt, UNICEF Communication Officer Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe highlighted the importance of adopting a sustainable and systemic approach to child rights reporting. She stated that the goal of the meeting was to integrate child rights education into journalism programs, train educators, and ultimately increase the number of students trained in this critical area.
Dr. Onuoha-Ogwe noted that the curriculum’s development comes at a crucial time, following the unbundling of the Mass Communication department by the National Universities Commission. She pointed out the urgent need for improved reporting on child rights amid ongoing concerns regarding violations in Nigeria, such as street hawking, child abandonment, and harmful cultural practices.
“The Child Rights Reporting Curriculum is essential for promoting awareness of child rights across Nigeria,” she said. “We aim to ensure that a larger number of journalism students graduate with the skills to report effectively on these issues.”
The University of Port Harcourt has committed to leading efforts in child rights advocacy through its Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. Prof. Innocent Ebere-Uwa, representing the Dean, Prof. Walter Ihejirika, emphasized the importance of sensitizing the public about child rights.
Describing the initiative as “historic,” Prof. Ihejirika stated, “Defending the lives of children is a responsibility that every adult citizen should embrace.” He highlighted the curriculum’s focus on equipping students with the tools to report on child rights issues competently.
Plans for integrating child rights topics into media courses at UNIPORT include seminars to educate the public on child rights and film productions that highlight these issues. The event saw participation from media officers and lecturers from institutions across Rivers and Bayelsa states, all united in the mission to promote child rights awareness in Nigeria.
