Lebanese Ministry of Information
The Ministry of Information organized with UNICEF and Kafa national discussion with media institutions on children and adolescents safeguarding in the media to protect their best interests and promote good practices including advocacy for children’s issues and the promotion of child rights.
The meeting was attended by the Higher Council for Childhood in Lebanon, MOSA, Media Institutions, News Organizations and Journalists who signed a pledge at the end of the meeting to safeguard the best interest of children in the media.
Minister of information, Ziad Makari said: “Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility, and safeguarding their rights is our duty. Media are an essential partners to protect children without violating their rights . Our partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Higher Council for Childhood and KAFA will allow focus on children’s issues in the media with high responsibility, putting his best interest above all else.
While we thank the media for attending this meeting, we hope that they will help us apply the guidelines of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in order to ensure the best interest of the child in the media”
UNICEF with KAFA, have in a participatory approach with local media, principles and guidelines to help journalists report on children’s issues in a way that enables them to serve the public interest without compromising the rights of children.
“Media professionals are champions of human rights and have an extremely important role to promote changes in social norms, attitudes and behaviours,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. “Reporting on children and young people has special challenges as children are facing many risks at this moment in time both in society as well as online and therefore, we count on this partnership with media and journalists to approach children with care and sensitivity, appreciate the rights of children and safeguard their best interest at all times”.
Rita Karam, President of the Higher Council for Childhood, said: “We, as the Ministry of Social Affairs / Supreme Council for Childhood, would like to express our pleasure to be present with you today to launch the child protection policy in the media. The media is the body that plays an important role in safeguarding children and offers great support to all ministries and associations. We thank UNICEF for its work, in partnership and coordination with the Higher Council for Childhood, in advocating for child’s rights for all children in Lebanon without discrimination”
On her part, the director of Kafa organization, Ms. Zoya Rouhana, highlighted the important role that the media can play. She recalled the successful partnership between Kafa and the media in their campaign for the passage of the domestic violence law in 2014 and its amendments in 2020. She also hoped that today’s meeting would lead to a new partnership with the media that would result in protective policies for children within the media institution and extending support for campaigns aimed at protecting children from early marriage, and the recognition of basic rights for children and adolescents in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. — UNICEF
