- Rights of children and adolescents are made invisible by the absence of programs with educational content in the media.
- The media prefer to broadcast entertainment programs to capture audiences and abstract children from reality.
- Clear and understandable information enables girls and boys to form their own criteria in relation to reality and seek solutions to problems that affect them, motivating them to become generators of content and change.
According to a UNICEF statement, three out of four governments use television as an educational tool, the 77% of Latin American and Caribbean countries offer educational content through national television channels and only three out of four households have access to radio transmitters. [1]
In this context, the initiative Weaving Childhood Nets in Latin America and the Caribbean, co-financed by the European Union, as part of the #NiñezPrimero strategy, organized the Webinar: The role of the media to meet the needs of children and adolescents.
During the development, the experts spoke about the role of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of radio and television content or programs on people, the right of girls and boys to receive information according to their age.
In this regard, Patricia Arriaga, photographer, writer and film and TV producer in Mexico, explained that most of the communication media have a commercial perspective; For this reason, they prefer to broadcast entertainment programs, where the main objective is to capture an audience and abstract children from reality.
According to Arriaga, this lack of interest in addressing childhood issues has contributed to making the voices of girls and boys invisible; in addition to the problems that affect them. What is the responsibility of the media regarding what we are experiencing? What is the responsibility towards girls, boys and adolescents? The media have turned more to entertainment television (…) it is difficult to find good content, he mentioned.
Regarding the quality of content on radio, television or other alternative media, Aldana Duhal, Screenwriter and Consultant for audiovisual content for children in Argentina, stressed that the design and dissemination of materials aimed at girls and boys requires specificity and adequate treatment of the information; In this sense, he regretted that many media outlets use technical, confusing and understandable language when addressing the audience, indirectly depriving other sectors of the population, girls and boys, to exercise their right to information. "We must be aware of the permanent need for respectful information, with many sources, points of view that include the opinion of children."
Likewise, Diana Laura, a 15-year-old adolescent and radio host in Mexico, explained that clear and understandable information enables girls and boys to form their own criteria in relation to reality and seek solutions to problems that affect them. motivating them to become generators of content and change. "We have the right and the obligation to know what is happening, to be informed in a way that we can understand."
Mónica Maruri, Journalist and specialist for development and educational TV from Ecuador, indicated that as a result of the pandemic, several governments chose to use radio and television as instruments to disseminate educational content and restore the right to education of girls and boys; as in the case of Ecuador, which implemented the program A-prender la tele.
On the importance of educational programs Elkhie Franke de México, added that states should also consider their permanence; in addition to implementing other programs considering the interculturality of its population.
Similarly, Juan Martín Pérez García, Coordinator of the #TejiendoRedesInfancia initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean, mentioned that the confinement evidenced the absence of educational content for girls and boys; which constitutes a violation of their rights. “The public media must recognize the citizenship of girls, boys and adolescents (…) the problem we have in many Latin American countries is that the old policy continues to consider childhood as something not a priority; there is no specialized information, they are not being listened to ”.
Finally, the speakers agreed that the media are fundamental to transmit information and promote changes in society; They stressed the need for states to implement strategies that allow the generation of educational content that really benefits children and adolescents.
[1] UNICEF / Statement / Lack of equality in access to distance education in the context of COVID-19 could exacerbate the global learning crisis.
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Press contact: Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer / [email protected]
About
#NiñezPrimero is a strategy that provides guidance for the care of children and adolescents in emergency situations.
Weaving Childhood Nets, is a project co-financed by the European Union that seeks to contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of a platform for the defense of children and adolescents in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Children's Rights Mexico AC / #TejiendoRedesInfancia and in no case should it consider that it reflects the views of the European Union.