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221 children abused sexually in three months
2008-02-19 10:19:00
By Rose Mwalongo
At least 221 children were sexually abused between November and January this year, the coalition of journalists from the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) project in Tanzania has revealed.
The revelation was made in Dar es Salaam over the weekend by journalists while reviewing reported cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation reported in various newspapers from November 2007 to January this year.
Articles published by 14 newspapers showed that there were 221 cases in the three months, most of which were reported in the urban areas.
Speaking during the meeting, the coordinator of the project, Lilian Kalaghe, from Tanzania Media Women\'s Association said it was sad to note that sexual abuse acts were increasing by the day, adding that the situation was catastrophic.
Kalaghe stressed the need for journalists to report child abuse and exploitation cases and expose the perpetrators in order to protect children from more suffering.
She said that journalists like other human beings were brought on earth for a purpose.
``We should not write just to make news come out, but rather ensure that we write things which will bring about changes to the society,`` said Kalaghe.
For his part, Clement Magembe said there was a need to train photojournalists from both electronic and print media to enable them understand the code of ethics for child abuse reporting.
Aloyce Komba, a lawyer and one of the founding members of CSAE project called on the government to set special courts, which would preside over children\'s cases to ensure that they would be accorded the rights they deserved.
``I call upon journalists to make a serious follow up on court cases. Journalists should pursue court stories by talking to different sources such as the magistrates, prosecutors and witnesses. Most journalists miss some important issues in court cases,`` said Komba.
Beatrice Bandawe from `Nipashe` urged journalists to be patient in their pursuit of court cases especially those involving child sexual abuse and exploitation.
She called on media houses to form special desks for criminal cases.
A journalist from Global Publishers, Imelda Mtema, urged journalists to form a single voice to address child sexual abuse and exploitation in the society.
Another participant Mashaka Mgeta said there was a need for journalists to know all the sources while pursuing court cases.
``Most journalists do not know where to seek information in regard to court cases. There is a need to train journalists who report court cases,`` said Mgeta, a senior journalist with `Nipashe`.
Presenting the code of conduct on CSAE reporting for the coalition, Simon Mkina from \'This Day\' said reporting on children required commitment, adding that journalists should use their newsrooms to bring positive changes to the society.
He however, reminded journalists that changes could only come about through one voice.``
``Let`s sacrifice ourselves. Money is not everything in bringing changes. One can bring about changes without money. All we need is commitment,`` emphasised Mkina.
The professional code of conduct for journalists cautions against publishing, broadcasting or taking pictures of child survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation.
It further calls upon journalists to seek permission from the child\'s parents or guardian before taking photographs or conducting interviews to protect their identity and report their stories accurately and objectively.
The workshop is one of the activities of advocacy against CSAE.
TAMWA works with other media women associations from Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia to develop a regional code intended to provide guideline to journalists on how to report CSAE stories objectively.
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