By
Momodou Lamin Sanneh & Lolly M. Camara
The Gambia: The Ministry of Information and
Communication Infrastructure (MOICI), through the Department of Information
Services, in collaboration with UNICEF last Wednesday oriented journalists from
various media houses on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The daylong training was meant to build
their capacities in reporting on children issues and showcasing of images of
children at risk.
Convention on the Rights of the Child
affirmed that children because of their vulnerability, need special care and
protection as it places special emphasis on primary care and protective
responsibility of the family, with the need for legal protection of the child
before and after birth.
In his opening statement, Lamin Camara,
the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information, Communication and
Infrastructure, said "it is crucial to note that The Gambia's ratification
and implementation of the CRC has brought children to the forefront, as it
remains a critical national issue."
He added that numerous players both
national and local have begun to realise children's rights, through the use of
the media.
PS Camara affirmed that the number of
donor organisations have over the years provided variety of support to the
media, with particular focus on the local press. According to him, the capacity
and general effectiveness of the media to report on child right issues and
showcasing the different disparities faced by children in accessing the very
basic social service still remains inadequate.
This issue, he said, is addressed in
Article 17 of the convention, which recommends that appropriate guidelines be
developed for the protection of the child. PS Camara informed the gathering
that UNICEF is among government's main donors, catering for children by
promoting and protecting their lives at national, regional and village levels.
He further stated that, UNICEF is
committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children-
victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and
exploitation and those with disabilities.
The permanent secretary at the Ministry
of Information, Communication and Infrastructure, therefore called on the participants
to disseminate the information to a wider audience that children have dreams
and hopes that need to be fulfilled.
"What they need is education,
resources and opportunities to enable them realise their potential to the
fullest. As this has been their motivation to participate in the global crusade
to combat cyber threat by the establishment of a Computer Incidence Reporting
Team (CIRT), under the ITU-IMPACT initiative," he stated.
This, he added, is clear testimony of
the government's concerted efforts to protect the rights of children, under
responsible and caring leadership of His Excellency, the President- Sheikh
Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, Nasirudeen Babili Mansa.
For her part, Sally Sadie Singhateh,
UNICEF's communication specialist, who deputised for the UNICEF Country
Director informed that the objective of the refresher training on the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and ethical reporting of children, is to
ensure that the rights and integrity of all children continue to be protected
when they are talked about.
As The Gambia commemorates the 25th
anniversary of the CRC this year, she stated, the government, UNICEF and other
significant stakeholders in child's rights reinforce their efforts to
popularise the achievements that have been made in child rights over the years,
as well reduce the gaps by addressing some of the challenges of ensuring that
every child enjoys his or her rights.
According to Madam Singhateh, a large
number of children, especially girls, are still out of school, due to several
reasons, including cultural practices like early marriage, among others. She
then urged all participants to take full advantage of the training, not only to
enhance their capacity in reporting, but also contribute to the overall protection
of vulnerable children in The Gambia.
Gibairu Janneh, the executive director
of GPU made a presentation on Ethical Reporting, while Salieu Jarsey of UNICEF
presented on the Convention on the Rights of Child.
Source: http://observer.gm/
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