At least 20 professional journalists including university teachers and media practitioners are attending training on reporting that promotes and sustains child rights.

Organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), Media High Council and National Children Council, the four-day training on Child Rights Media Module kicked off on Thursday in Musanze District aiming to improve reporting and communicating children’s rights and issues in Rwanda.

The module designed for use in media training schools and in capacity building for media practitioners elaborates on how to report child-related issues while preserving their rights.

Siddartha Shrestha, Unicef Rwanda’s Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, has told IGIHE that the training was organised to address weaknesses in reporting about children starting from media trainers and practitioners.

“Children’s rights is not something new but the way their issues are reported is important because children are at the centre of the country’s future. That is why we have decided to look at how media can report in the way that does not affect children’s future,” said Shrestha, adding that teachers at media schools will use the module to train future journalists.

Training participants appreciated upgrading skills in child rights reporting. David Muhwezi, director of media department at East African University said that Child Rights Media Module will help the school improve media training on human rights especially on reporting children’s issues.

Dr Margaret Jjuuko, a lecturer at University of Rwanda’s School of Journalism and Communication who is offering the training, said the module has important lessons to help journalists report about children professionally.

She said that reporting about child rights has seen important improvements in Rwanda but their rights are still abused sometimes in reporting.

The module has eight chapters elaborating on child rights, how to be reported when they have done good or bad, how to report about children with disabilities, about their violence, and more.