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Perspectives on children's participation in the Zimbabwean media
Nqaba Terence Ndlovu, Salvation Army Masiye Camp
October 29, 2004

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has, as one of the principles of the U.N. Convention, Article 13 which reads in part, "The child shall have the right to freedom of expression, this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’ choice". Since ratifying the Convention Zimbabwe has to a limited extent begun to implement this particular principle that guarantees children’s participation in the media. The participation of children in the media in Zimbabwe is largely low key if not downright cosmetic.

Whilst programmes have been initiated where children plan and present on national television, most of these programmes have children as their target audience. This in itself is commendable, but if the media is to promote collective action and policy change, and if children can become agents of change and fully participate in the development process, then they should be given space on more important slots like News at Eight, front pages of newspapers and on talk radio. This will enable them to reach out more effectively to policymakers and the general public. It would also be beneficial to communities to add children’s voices to the debate on development issues.

Elsewhere on the continent, some developing countries have made significant strides in ensuring theeffectiveparticipation of children in the media. "In Albania, child journalists produce a show called "Troc" (meaning tell it like it is). The show which is broadcast on Albanian National T.V., by children aged between 13 and 18, has an audience of nearly 75 000 viewers weekly. With Unicef support, Troc is proving to be one the most innovative and influential forms of youth participation in the world.Children themselves write and produce the programmes, which are not only popular, but often produce change.

In one instance, a month after an expose by Troc reporters showed the poor treatment of children in a dormitory, local authorities met with the director of the dorimitory and fired him. In another case, after the show highlighted the lack of textbooks in high schools in one town, educational authorities promptly provided textbooks in time for students to study for exams" (Unicef). This is just an example of a "best practice" in participation of children in the media. If the Albania scenario was to be replicated in Zimbabwe, the selected children would have to be empowered with the relevant journalistic and broadcasting skills.

By ratifying the U.N. Convention in Geneva in 1989, Zimbabwe agreed to "encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child". It is interesting to note that the portrayal of children in the media in Zimbabwe is based more on the news value associated with children rather than being the product of a proactive agenda for contributing to the advancement of children. This has often led to children being portrayed in the media as being "innocent victims" of all sorts of ills because of the news value of such stories.

Children often become newsworthy only when something bad has happened to them. The way children are portrayed in the media has a profound impact on the way people perceive children and childhood. This also has a psychological effect on the children themselves. Children’s hopes and aspirations and even expected roles in life, are to a large extent shaped by the images of children they see in the media. Therefore, whilst every effort must be made to ensure that children participate in the media, every effort must also be made to protect children from the harmful effects of the media. The child’s integrity must be protected at all costs. It would also be refreshing to have journalists who are overtly proactive in advocating for children’s rights with the same passion as environmental issues perhaps. "News value" or "profitability should not be an impediment to the participation of children in the media. In this sense therefore, Zimbabweans would need to undergo a paradigm shift before children can participate fully and meaningfully in the media.

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