A medium like a newspaper, particularly in Madhya Pradesh takes great care against Child neglect by publishing positive and inspirational child-related stories. Its been done by adopting the research technique of content analysis of one week of a newspaper.
The objective is to analyze a number of positive stories related to child rights is being covered by the Newspaper. To know what role media play towards the vulnerable humankind. Let parents understand the importance of child rights and also to identify the type of content which influence the child more.
Contents
Role of Media in Social Settings
Media is the dominant player in today’s era and has an unparallel influence in all spheres. The ubiquitous image of media, profound the masses greatly through its content. Its key role is to disseminate and aware of the citizen by updating with the current happenings. Being the fourth estate, it becomes a vital and crucial part of our daily life. Its content extensively affects the citizen and has a psychological impact on the development of a child, with a great intense.
According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information, media, like magazines, radio, video games and the Internet, have the potential to influence children’s eating habits, exercise habits, buying habits and mental health. If children are allowed to be exposed to these media without adult supervision, they may have the same deleterious and devastating effects on Children.
The busy parents tend to ignore all these effects and neglect the child which becomes the most common part. Here the child rights violated.
UN Convention on the Rights of Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, Article 19 states all children to be protected from abuse and neglect. Child rights are the basis of all of Unicef’s work. It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.
Among 30 Child rights some of the rights were prominently covered are:
Right to education: Special stories like master tips during examination help students to prepare best for their upcoming final examination and remind parent’s role during this crucial time for children. Changement in examination pattern of fifth and eighth class, to be an onboard pattern. News stories coverage on the improvement of infrastructure and education facilities in government school highlights the government efforts of the citizen. These encourage regarding the importance of education.
Right to Play: Publishing individual child stories like of Khusi winner of under 19 cricket motivate others in playing. Awarding winners of sports by renowned personality creates an ideal and build the aim of their life. This all led to highlight the keen child right like playing.
Right to health: The most important and yet challenging right to be achieved in the state like Madhya Pradesh, informing citizen regarding the current condition of the state i.e Madhya Pradesh is number one in malnutrition and crime. This led people to fight against it and to be the part of the healthy state in coming future.
Wayforward to Achieve Child Rights
Motivation and Inspirational stories: Disseminating regarding the child right can also be achieved by publishing content like training self-defence to students and its benefits.
The Major result which has been analysed are:
- Coverage of child-related inspirational stories like Awards to the achievers, Victory of children etc, boost them for further competition.
- Mandideep, Khandwa, Balaghat, Bhopal etc different areas of Madhya Pradesh are covered in stories .
- The government too playing a major role in disseminating child rights through their day to day activity.
- Newspaper is too allotting appropriate space to give special tips regarding the examination.
Thus all these approaches of newspaper tend to encourage child towards a positive atmosphere. Parents could have a better understanding of child rights and gives their children much space which they need. All these would lead the child to get more recognition and protection of child rights.
But the things could improve more while the child rights coverage by giving space on the first page and allotting more centimetre and column to news as this newspaper lacks. Other media like internet, television, magazines etc, too have to play a great role in disseminating regarding child rights.
More space of child right facilitates more exposure among parents which eventually led better child care.
Source : Patrika
Amisha Sharma 
Apoorv Agrawal