The Deputy Minister of Women and Children`s Affairs, Mr. Daniel Christian Dugan, has expressed grave concern at the manner pornographic materials have taken hold of the Ghanaian media landscape, saying that the development contributes immensely to recent increased cases of crime against children and women in the country.
The Deputy Minister, who was speaking at a two-day workshop for journalists in Senchi near Akosombo, called for the immediate removal of such all pornographic materials in the media. Describing the media as eye and brain of the society, he stressed that `Prime time television viewing now carries too much violence and sex, adding that this is not the kind of atmosphere he would like to train his son or daughter in.
Mr. Dugan, who was speaking on the theme `Combating Child Trafficking in Ghana –The Role of the Media,` however, applauded journalists, especially from The Ghanaian Observer and Crusading Guide, for taking the risk to investigate issues involving different forms of human trafficking. Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Jonathan Adams of the two papers were cited for their crusading roles in that regard. He emphasized that the role of the media in the fight against acts of human trafficking and other forms of abuses lay in not just getting the information, he said, but also exposing those criminals involved in those acts.
Additionally, the Deputy Minister expressed disappointment about how some media personnel handle issues involving trafficked children by exposing their identity instead of protecting it in their reportage. He stated that a basic error in journalism most journalists are engaging in is expose either one of the parents of the victim and state that the child`s name is withheld. This, he said, does not in any way help to protect the child since once a parent is identified the child could also be identified as well.
The workshop afforded participants the opportunity to understand the concepts of the worst form of child labour, especially human trafficking and the various interventions being undertaken by the stakeholders to eliminate child labour and the challenges in the country. Continuing, Mr. Dugan stated that the media also plays an informant role; and therefore a well equipped media in terms of knowledge acquisition and ability to impart that knowledge depends on how the media personnel allow themselves to be filled with the knowledge on the issues.
`To be patient and delve into issues to acquire the import of the case is a good perquisite for good media work,`he added. He, therefore, urged the media personnel to spend time to investigate and go through the various processes before coming out with information for the public consumption. The Deputy Minister said information that is half-correct, incomplete, and not fulfilling, can only poison the mind of the reader, viewer or listener. For we say `Little knowledge is a disease.` To be able to assist with the fight against child trafficking, Mr. Dugan said the media must be inquisitive, visit the area and community concerned, interview people, investigate to ascertain the truth before coming out.
He added that when this is done the information consumption can be full of factual issues on trafficking and not just sensational for the sake of arousing, apathy, sympathy or riot. `So the media should study the issue of trafficking, be conversant with the laws, the contentions, institutional frameworks, the roles of and responsibilities with the understanding of their challenges and weakness to be able to support what is being done by government, non-governmental organizations, religious bodies and other faith based organizations` he said.
Mr. Dugan also urged the media position itself to be conversant with the laws on trafficking and other related conventions as a way of informing the public of the canker. On the way forward in fighting against human trafficking in the country, he revealed that Ghana has put in place legal framework and policy strategies to deal with the issue. This commitment towards elimination of human trafficking, he added, is evident in the number of international conventions, charters and agreements ratified by Ghana, saying that at the international level, the country has reviewed her laws to criminalize any form of exploitation, including human trafficking.
On his part, the President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Ransford Tetteh, underscored the need for journalists in the country to get fully involved in the fight against human trafficking. He emphasized that apart from the journalist`s watchdog role, they also remain important social partners in the fight against the canker, because no meaningful change can take place in a society without both their cooperation and critique. Mr. Tetteh, who also doubles as the Editor of The Daily Graphic, urged the media and all social partners to devote their hearts and minds to the elimination of human trafficking in the country.
Source: Daily Graphic
