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Summary: Recife, 2 May 1998
Conference Report, Executive
Summary
The highlight of Phase II of the IFJ Child Right and the Media
project was The Journalism 2000: Child Rights and the Media
conference held on May 2nd, 1998 in Recife, Brazil. The
conference was attended by more than 150 participants from
over 70 countries (the list of participants is attached).
The meeting resulted in the adoption of the IFJ Child Rights and
the Media Guidelines for Journalists (attached). It marked the
international launch of these guidelines which will be followed by
further discussion of the guidelines at regional level.
The conference heard from a succession of international experts
on the rights of children including representatives of the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF as well as
from leading NGOs in Brazil, a country where the problem of child
labour and street children has spawned numerous agencies
trying to combat the problem.
Among the speakers was the widow of former world racing
champion Airton Senna who is the head of a charitable institute
set up after the drivers' tragic death. Mrs Viviane Senna's
Institute is sponsoring a number of media initiatives to highlight
the issue of children's rights. Mrs Senna announced at the
conference that her institute will consider sponsoring an
international prize for excellence in reporting on children's issues.
She has asked the IFJ to assist in the organisation of this prize.
A forthright film about the rights of children proclaimed in the UN
Convention and how these rights are being abused around the
globe was the topic of a special discussion. Journalists debating
the film Innocents Lost, produced by British broadcaster Kate
Blewett focused on the ethical problems facing journalists trying
to steer a course between the tendency to sensationalise and
the need to make a contribution to improving the conditions of
children.
Further contributions included journalists from Argentina, Brazil,
Malaysia and Kenya.
Prior to the conference the IFJ undertook an international survey
of codes of conduct of journalists which is attached to this report.
On the basis of the survey and discussions with journalists
representatives, relevant NGOs and UN agencies the IFJ
prepared a set of guidelines for journalists reporting children's'
issues. These guidelines were discussed, amended and adopted
at the Journalism 2000: Child Rights and the Media conference.
Finances
The contribution received by Sida was used to cover travel and
accommodation costs for participants to the Journalism 2000:
Child Rights and the Media conference. The Sida contribution
further covered part of the interpretation and preparatory costs.
All other costs relating to Phase II of the project were met by the
IFJ, its Brazilian affiliate FENAJ and other donors.
Report of the Conference
The IFJ President Jens Linde and the President of FENAJ Américo
Antunes both highlighted the important role media can play in
promoting the rights of children. Jens Linde explained that the
professional responsibility of journalists vis-à-vis society included
providing information on the living conditions of children. In many
countries children take up adult responsibilities from a very early
age but they do not have access to education or effective
representation must not be forgotten by the media.
Américo Antunes pointed to the positive role media can play in
exposing the sexual exploitation of children. Exposing such
abuses was not a question of the media taking sides but of
journalists speaking out for the respect of fundamental human
rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised group in society --
sexually abused children. He said that journalists must enter into
a dialogue with society and clearly address and expose violations
of human rights including those of children.
Madalena Arraes, the first lady of Pernambuco and President of
the Social Action Crusade challenged the journalists present to
do more to highlight the rights of children. Especially television
was a key media in promoting an accurate image of children.
Journalists should try to rehabilitate human values against
commercial, sexual and other forms of exploitation of children.
She told participants about a campaign of her group with
members of the Brazilian parliament to ban excessive violence on
television. In spite of what some critics said this was not a
backwards move, because there was nothing progressive about
violence on television and media had to be part of positive
change in society.
Viviane Senna, President of the Airton Senna Institute (IAS)
explained how the dramatic economic development of recent
years had failed to produce the same level of social development.
Instead it had led to increased unemployment, social exclusion
and the concentration of wealth in fewer and fewer hands. As
part of this development children were finding themselves
excluded from essential benefits, such as education. Therefore a
new social model needed to be developed that not only took
account of economic aspects of development but also social
indicators.
She called on journalists to become involved in the debate about
such a new social model and not to remain on the side-lines of
what should be an inclusive debate of all society.
In support of the IFJ's initiative in raising awareness among
media professionals about the rights of children, Ms. Senna
announced that her institute would consider sponsoring an
international prize for excellence in reporting children's issues.
Introducing the panel discussion on Child Rights and Media: Why
it Matters to Journalists IFJ General Secretary Aidan White
explained that the IFJ wanted to raise awareness among media
professionals about the rights of children. The IFJ did not want to
interfere with journalists' work -- as the organisation defending
the independence of journalists this would be far from the IFJ's
intentions - but it wanted to highlight some blank spots in
journalistic coverage notably about the rights of children.
It was time for journalists to address this question, the debate
about coverage of children issues could not be left to
organisations which while well intended did not understand or
appreciate how media works. Sometimes NGOs overstate
problems in order to make front page news and journalists
remain wary of exaggeration of information.
The study carried out by the IFJ showed that there is already a
body of understanding among media professionals about the
issue. The draft guidelines before the conference were open to
debate he invited participants to submit amendments.
He proposed an amendment himself addressing the question of
violence on television during times when children are watching
television.
Armand Pereira of the ILO focused on the question of child labour
and the role media can play in promoting better living conditions
for children. In order to make a positive contribution journalists
first needed to understand child labour. It was not just a
question of rights, but also a question of equal opportunities,
economic development and employment. There are many
explanations for why child labour exists but there is no
justification for it any more. Especially in a globalised economy
child labour cannot be looked upon as an isolated problem but as
part of the global integrated economy, including the major
players in this economy who determine the conditions of work.
The ILO was campaigning against the most abusive forms of child
labour and for the adoption of a new convention aimed at
eliminating the most abusive forms of child labour. One key
aspect in eliminating child labour was the political will of
governments to invest in education and to ensure that children
have access to education. Consumers are also very important in
changing attitude of employers towards child labour and the
media have an important role to play in informing consumers.
Manuel Manrique of UNICEF explained how the convention on the
rights of the child represented an ethical change within society as
regards children. With the adoption of the convention the world
of adults had recognised children as independent human beings
with rights. This represented a change from recognising needs to
recognising rights. And this change should also be reflected in
media coverage of children.
Oon EE Seng from Malaysia said that journalistic attitudes
towards the issue of children's rights in many parts of the world
amounted to media turning a blind eye to the problem. In Asia, it
appeared that the misery of children was essential to the needs
of overall economic improvement. In many countries of Asia the
media turns a blind eye to the issue of child prostitution because
of the notion that the trade in sex is essential to the local
economy and to the encouragement of tourism. The media had to
destroy this myth of acceptance and tolerance that the misery of
the child can lead to secure economic development. At the end of
the day, the people who most benefit from the misery of children
were sections of society which are not those most in need of
economic improvement.
Damian Loreti from Argentina said that it was imperative that
adults recognise children and their rights. Often in the media
children were portrayed as stereotypes. At the same time
politicians tended to use children as props in election campaigns
but few showed any real commitment to introduce political
programmes and actions in support of children's rights.
He made proposals for discussion to be included in the guidelines
from a publication prepared by children:
listen to what children have to say,
recognise them as a partner in dialogue,
do not underestimate their responsibilities
Media are one of the very few links that exist between children
and decision makers and politicians. They do not have their own
lobby so the media have an important role to play in raising public
awareness about the rights of children.
In Argentina, the UN convention was ratified in 1989 but public
officials still do not know about the convention and did not make
it part of public policy.
Sam Mbure from Kenya cited a poem commemorating abused
children in Africa. He stated that violations of children's rights was
not exclusively a problem of the developing world, children rights
were violated all over the world. Children were being drafted into
guerrilla armies and it was estimated that over one million
children died in combat in the last ten years. Media was
neglecting to report on these issues. As UNICEF pointed out in a
recent report, diseases affecting children were hardly ever
reported. He said this was a challenge to the media to treat
diseases especially affecting children the same way they had
reported other epidemics such as AIDS.
Kate Blewett from the United Kingdom talked about the films she
had made dealing with children's issues. Her first film, the Dying
Rooms portrayed orphanages in China and how children were
neglected and abused in these orphanages. As a result she was
contacted by many different people telling her about abuses
children were suffering. This resulted in the production of the film
Innocents Lost. The aim of the film was to bring about a reaction
that would bring about change.
During the afternoon participants watched the film Innocents
Lost. The structure of the film was the UN convention of the rights
of the child. Children from different parts of the world read out
some of the key articles of the convention. The film then showed
how these rights were being ignored and abused by portraying
children suffering abuse.
Kate Blewett explained that most difficult thing about filming
abused children was to be with the children, to live with them.
She aimed to become part of the lives of children by spending
time with them before making the interviews. Journalism
exposing abuse of children needed to take time, to listen. It was
not fast news. The aim of the film was to show the pain of the
children interviewed, to have them describe it in their own words,
without any comments from adults. The film produced a wide
reaction when it was aired in the UK and showed how powerful
media can be in getting the message out and getting the right
response if it allowed children to speak for themselves.
Participants agreed that Innocents Lost was a very powerful film
but some criticised that it was too sensational, that it was too
much geared towards a Western audience and that it failed to be
impartial. The debate about the film clearly showed the ethical
dilemmas campaigning journalism can face.
The National Association for the Rights of the Child in Brazil
(ANDI) gave a presentation of how they had monitored media
coverage of children over the last year. ANDI looked at what
issues involving children are covered by media, how children are
portrayed and what issues may be missing from media coverage.
ANDI publishes three-monthly reports of its findings which are
circulated to media. The aim of the initiative is not to police media
but to show editors what issues are covered and to make
suggestions of how coverage could be improved by providing
materials about children and contacts with child rights NGOs.
During the following debate many participants talked about their
own experience in covering children. Several participants
proposed amendments to the guidelines which were included in
the final version. It was further proposed that media should have
a child rights event calendar planning for coverage of reports to
the UN by national governments, ILO meetings and other events
which could be used to highlight the rights of children.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Child Rights and
the Media: Guidelines for Journalists. It was further agreed that
the IFJ should organise regional follow-up meetings to discuss
the guidelines and that a review conference should be organised
in 1999.
Results
The IFJ Child Rights project gave itself the following objectives:
a) to promote discussion of the role of the media in the coverage
of child rights, and to create a framework for the use of reporting
guidelines;
b) to promote the engagement of journalists and media
organisations in the discussion and elaboration of policies at
international, regional and national level related to the media and
the rights of children;
c) to encourage dialogue between media professionals and
relevant international agencies regarding information and
communication strategies and initiatives in the promotion of child
rights;
d) to develop basic information materials to assist both media
professionals and agencies concerned with eradicating child
exploitation in the promulgation of children's rights.
It is useful to review which of these objectives have been
achieved during the first two phases of the project and which
objectives have to be further emphasised during the remaining
three phases of the project
During Phase II the IFJ succeeded in achieving the first two
objectives. Discussion and awareness among media
professionals has been raised. Over 100 journalists'
organisations from around the world have committed themselves
to the promotion of the IFJ Guidelines. The international
conference in Recife provided the base for further discussion and
practical activities at regional level.
A joint programme of activity was agreed with the World
Association of Newspapers (WAN). The IFJ, WAN and UNESCO
organised two meetings in Africa on newspaper in education.
Further joint initiatives are planned for other regions.
The IFJ has been closely involved in the working group involving
the relevant UN agencies ensuring the representation of media
professionals in the discussion of UN initiatives.
With the launch of the guidelines and the survey of the codes of
conduct the IFJ has produced further materials assisting both
media professionals and agencies concerned with the promotion
of children's rights.
In the subsequent phases of the project the IFJ will focus on
regional discussion and practical activities in the areas of
journalism training, newsroom organisation and production of
materials.