Media and social sectors should build pressure on politicians to ensure inclusion of the issues of children in their agenda,” said eminent Mumbai journalist Quaid Najmi while addressing a State-level workshop on ‘Role of media in |protection and promotion of child rights’ organised by the Save the Children here on Sunday.
Giving example of two slum children who shot to limelight after playing roles in the Hollywood movie Slumdog Millionaire and becoming a source of inspiration for others, he said role models help create awareness.
He also said the vernacular media have a major role in creating awareness among people and building pressure for pro-child policies. Journalists including Jatindra Das urged the political parties to include the issues of children in their manifestos.
Child reporters from Keonjhar, Koraput, Kandhamal, Subarnapur and Khordha districts placed their views on the children’s issues from their regions and how they were able to address some of these issues with the help of the regional media.
Child reporter Surendra Takri of Radio Dhemsa run by the South Odisha Volunteer Action (SOVA) said they were trying to make children aware about child rights in the rural area of Koraput. “We even take help of community radio to disseminate the information through local tribal language,” said Takri.
Among others, Save the Children programme manager Sasank Padhi, PECUC secretary Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Sachitananda Mohanty of SOVA, visiting faculty of ITER Nivedita Das, Prof Fakir Mohan Sahu and members of partner organisations of Save the Children including PECUC, Aaina, CCWD, RARE and SOVA were present.