Every child, family must be protected – UNICEF Deputy Rep

Reportage on interpersonal violence

Cases of interpersonal violence are often reported in the news and may have lasting effects on families or persons in close relation to the case.
Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for Suriname and Guyana, Irfan Akhtar on Thursday outlined that every child and family must be protected when these stories reach the public through media outlets.

He was at the time speaking during the web launch of guidelines for reporting on interpersonal violence, formulated by the University of Guyana through partnership with UNICEF. Akhtar said that it was a requirement to minimise any further harm while maintaining ethics while fairly reporting on the matter.
Interpersonal violence, also referred to as intimate partner violence, domestic violence or battering, is a pattern of behaviour used to establish power through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence.
“We must ensure that the dignity, accuracy, fairness, justice and minimisation of any further harm are upheld while reporting on violence. We have to respect all these core principles while we are reporting on violence against women and children,” he emphasised.
“It is a serious issue and should be dealt very seriously with full intention of addressing the issues of domestic violence. It is our hope that the journey on the guidelines do not stop. This will be used to influence policies, legislations to prevent and respond to domestic violence,” Akhtar added.
Along with media operatives, joining the proceedings were acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards; acting Chief Justice Roxane George; UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-martin; and Guyana Press Association (GPA) President Nazima Raghubir.
The acting Chancellor, while acknowledging that the media played a “crucial” role in shaping the world, asserted that an article should tell the story but at the same time, pivot on critical issues plaguing society.
“The media’s voice is listened to more often than even some of the experts in the field of domestic violence. The power that you have to influence and shape thoughts will help to prevent or to cure some of the social ills in society. It is, therefore, imperative that the media report events that are fair, accurate and balanced; and events that are not laced with opinions,” Cummings-Edwards opined.
She said trivialising domestic violence should not be the case, and such behaviour is criminalised. It is also imperative to find balance against privacy and public right to information since this can affect the legal proceedings of a case.
Meanwhile, the GPA President pointed out that while these guidelines come at a critical time, there should be room for when laws are amended or in light of new challenges. According to her, social media commentators are also changing the narrative behind a story through their own input, which pose a challenge.
Nevertheless, Professor Mohamed-Martin highlighted the need for stereotypes to be dismantled, as they often led to victim-blaming.