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Minister Prisca Mupfumira

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
ACTING Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Prisca Mupfumira has challenged journalists to be sensitive and responsible in their reporting, especially on issues to do with vulnerable groups.

In an address during a psychosocial support forum that ended in Victoria Falls yesterday, Mupfumira, who is also Public Service, Labour and Social Services Minister, said there was a need for advocacy and developmental journalism in newsrooms.

The minister was responding to concerns raised at the three-day conference that the media was victimising children through negative reporting.

“It’s important that our editorial policies focus on vulnerable groups when reporting. We need to have special desks for gender and youths and I’m happy that Zimpapers has implemented this,” she told a media briefing soon after the official opening of the conference where she was guest of honour.

The acting Information Minister said she was in talks with editors from different media houses in the country on gender sensitive reporting.

“It’s something that I’ve to follow up to ensure that journalists focus on women and children. Traditionally if we look at stories in the media, many of them are not gender sensitive which is why we want desks dedicated to this,” she said.

“Reporters should move away from wrong personal issues. We need to focus on bread and butter issues that add value to life. This is something we’re discussing with editors and it will be looked at seriously.”

Earlier in her official remarks, the minister reiterated the need for sustainable psychosocial support services programmes.

The psychosocial support conference, which started on Tuesday, was organised by the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI).

Close to 400 participants from 27 countries drawn from the Sadc region and beyond attended the conference which was focusing on early child marriages, sexual reproductive rights and adolescence. The theme of the conference was “Love, care and protection-from infancy to adolescence.”

Children from the Sadc region, led by Zimbabwe Child president Samuel Nyarenda, called for advocacy journalism on issues to do with children.

“Our rights are communicated by adults at our expense. We can’t have such a situation because we won’t be able to fight all these vices. Let’s give children the voice to articulate their views on issues affecting children,” said Nyirenda.

In closing remarks, Health and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa, implored child rights organisations to be on the lookout for psychological abuse in families perpetrated by step parents.

He said there were key populations in the country that needed specific attention from all partners.

“For us we have key populations that we really focus on and these are adolescents, sex workers, long distance truck drivers and inmates. In prisons the HIV and Aids prevalence is at 28 percent, well above national figures of 14 percent and that really needs special focus,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.