The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has strengthened its campaign for child’s rights, through collaboration with Universities across Nigeria.
Participants at the meeting were Deans and senior lecturers from University of Port Harcourt, Niger Delta University, Cross River State University, Federal University Otueke, Bayelsa; University of Uyo, Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, University of Africa and Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori.
This is as the international agency, yesterday, led a multi zonal dialogue on “Mainstreaming the UNICEF’s Child Rights Reporting Curriculum in Nigerian Universities “, held at the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State.
In her presentation, the UNICEF’s Communication Officer, Dr Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, emphasised the need for a sustainable and systemic approach to child rights reporting. She said the sensitisation will lead the participants be committed in ensuring the inclusive of the report in their school curriculum.
Dr Onuoha-Ogwe said the initiative aimed to integrate child rights reporting into journalism education, ensuring that future journalists are equipped to effectively report on child-related issues.
She explained that the objective of the meeting to was to enhance journalism education to include child rights reporting, train lecturers to teach child rights reporting and increase the number of students trained to effectively report child rights.
According to the UNICEF’s communication Officer, the curriculum’s development was timely, following the unbundling of the Mass Communication department by the National Universities Commission (NUC) few years ago.
She noted that UNICEF’s efforts come amid concerns over child rights violations in Nigeria, including street hawking, child abandonment, and cultural practices that harm children.
Onuoha-Ogwe who disclosed that about 50 universities across the country are presently mainstreaming child’s rights reporting, stated: “The Child Rights Reporting Curriculum is borne out of the need to promote the reportage for child rights every where in Nigeria.
“So we needed a more sustainable and systemic approach which will have to guide academic system where we have a large number of students of Journalism coming out trained to effectively report child rights everywhere.
“We want to see more universities Mainstreaming Child’s rights Curriculum In Nigeria following the unbundling of the mass communication department by NUC a few years ago in Nigeria”.
She added that “In this training we have more lecturers in more Universities skilled and able to teach child rights Reporting and by that we are getting more students of journalism getting trained to effectively report child’s rights even when they are done with schooling.”
Earlier in his opening speech, Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Uniport, Prof Walter Ihejirika emphasised the urgent need to sensitise Nigerians on child rights, noting the University has always led in the promoting child rights awareness in Nigeria.
Ihejirika who was represented by Prof. Innocent Uwah, described the initiative as “historic” and a significant step towards promoting child rights in Nigeria”.
He said “Defending the lives of children is the pride every adult citizen of the world ought to embrace”, stressing the importance of safeguarding children’s fundamental rights.
According to him, the curriculum aims to integrate child rights reporting into journalism education, equipping students with the skills to effectively report on child-related issues.
He explained that UNIPORT plans to integrate child rights into media-related courses, utilisng various platforms to promote awareness.
Prof Ihejirika however described UNICEF as “outstanding in saving the future of every child. It is an agency that advocates the safety, education and welfare of children as fundamental rights they cannot be denied them in any circumstances of life”.
According to him, the programme “Is a daunting task because in different settings, especially in Nigeria there are instances of street hawking children being left to dangers, some are even abandoned by their parents because of lack of resources to take care of them while some others are victims of traditional judgement, being castigated as outcasts premised on cultural practices”.