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Assistant Commissioner of Police Owusua Kyeremeh, Director, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), Ghana Police Service, has urged journalists to prioritise children’s rights when reporting cases involving minors.
She said this was to protect children from further victimisation, ridicule, and trauma. Speaking at a training workshop for journalists on “Best Practices for Ethical Reporting on Children in Vulnerable Situations, including Consent and Confidentiality,” ACP Kyeremeh expressed concerns over exposing children in publications without proper consent, context, or protection.
She said this worsened their situation, with some even dropping out of school, saying, “It has been a matter of concern for us as practitioners in this space working with children.” “Most of the time, what we realise is that most journalists, in reporting of the children, are either not aware of the rights of the child or just decide not to pay attention and respect the rights of children, and in that case, in reporting the news, in doing your job, you end up infringing on the rights of the children,” she said.
The training, organized by Statements Limited in partnership with Trailblazers, aimed to enhance journalists’ skills to enable them to report with accuracy, sensitivity, and greater awareness. ACP Kyeremeh urged journalists to use letters instead of publishing children’s names, hide their identities, and prioritize their interests over selling news.
“If you are going to do any report, write any report and it involves a child then you must make sure that the interest of the child is taken into consideration and it should be above whatever news you think you can get to sell your newspaper or your media station,” she emphasised. ACP Kyeremeh encouraged journalists to acquaint themselves with laws on children’s rights, including the Children’s Act, the DOVVSU Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act.
She referenced Section 3(2) of the Juvenile Justice Act, which states: “A person shall not, in the cause of arrest, investigation, or trial of an offence connected to a juvenile or at any other stage of the cause of the matter, release any information for publication that may lead to the identification of the juvenile.”
“Anytime you are doing a story, first and foremost, find out the age, it is very critical. So, if the person is below 18 years, then it means that the person is a child. Then you are bound by the Juvenile Justice Act, then you are bound by the Domestic Violence Act, then you are bound by the Children’s Act,” she advised.
Mr. Daniel Coffie, a Programmes Officer at the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, urged journalists not to ask abused children to recount their trauma repeatedly, as it could worsen their emotional distress. He stressed the importance of avoiding sensationalism in reporting, advocating instead for a focus on care and protection.
Mr. Coffie also called for continued efforts to raise awareness against settling rape and defilement cases out of court, emphasizing that such actions undermined justice. Madam Edith Vanessa Khartey, a lawyer, enjoined journalists to conduct thorough investigations into abuse allegations before publishing stories, noting that some children may be coerced to make false accusations.
She advocated for collaboration between media and civil society to amplify messages on vulnerable children and hold perpetrators accountable. Mr. Michael Mawugbe, Executive Secretary to the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, emphasised professionalism and ethics in media work. He advised journalists to focus on broader issues affecting children rather than their personal stories. “Focus on the issue, not the child,” he said.
Source: GNA
