Assistant Commissioner of Police Owusua Kyeremeh, Director of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, has urged journalists to prioritise children's rights when reporting cases involving minors.
She said this was necessary to protect children from further victimisation, ridicule, and trauma.
Speaking at a training workshop for journalists on "Best Practices for Ethical Reporting on Children in Vulnerable Situations, including Consent and Confidentiality," ACP Kyeremeh expressed concerns about exposing children in publications without proper consent, context, or protection.
She said such exposure worsened their situation, with some even dropping out of school. "It has been a matter of concern for us as practitioners in this space working with children," she noted. "Most of the time, we realise that journalists, in reporting on children, are either not aware of the rights of the child or simply choose not to pay attention to and respect those rights.
