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Published on March 15, 2021

Radio broadcasters receive training on early childhood protection in Brazil


  • Approximately 250 radio broadcasters from all regions of Brazil have participated over the past four months of online workshops on the topic of early childhood and the role of the press in defending the rights of children and adolescents.
  • The workshops were held by UN Brazil, through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women, as part of a project supported with resources from the United Nations Joint Fund for SDGs (Joint SDG Fund).
  • Conducted by the non-governmental organization ANDI - Communication and Rights, the “Tuned in Early Childhood” courses addressed the scientific evidence that justifies the need to prioritize children up to 6 years of age in public policies. Other topics covered were the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the press coverage of children in Brazil.

 

Approximately 250 radio broadcasters from all regions of Brazil have participated over the past four months of online workshops on the topic of early childhood and the role of the press in defending the rights of children and adolescents.

The workshops were held by UN Brazil, through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women, within the scope of a project supported with resources from the United Nations Joint Fund for SDGs (Joint SDG Fund).

Conducted by the non-governmental organization ANDI - Communication and Rights, the “Tuned in Early Childhood” courses addressed the scientific evidence that justifies the need to prioritize children up to 6 years of age in public policies. Other topics covered were the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the press coverage of children in Brazil.

"Socially responsible journalism is capable of contributing to the protection of human rights, not only denouncing violations of such rights, but strengthening the public debate on ways to guarantee and promote them," said ANDI's communication coordinator , Luciana Abade, at the opening of the workshops.

Early childhood corresponds to the period of 0 to 6 years of life in which the brain and the entire central nervous system are formed. Neuroscience claims that there is a direct relationship between early experiences and brain development.

"We compare the 'construction' of the human being to that of a house. In the construction of the house, there are stages, in human development, too," said the national secretary of Attention to Early Childhood of the Ministry of Citizenship, Luciana Siqueira. "In the house, there is the construction of the structure, of the foundation, and we consider early childhood precisely this stage”, said the national secretary during the workshop for radio broadcasters in the North region, held on February 25.

In her presentation, the secretary emphasized the importance of the Happy Child Program, an initiative of the federal government supported by the United Nations, which aims to boost the development of vulnerable children through home visits. In the pandemic, such visits have taken place mainly remotely.

The lawyer for the organization Alana, Ana Cláudia Cifali, addressed the recent legislative advances on the topic. She recalled that Article 227 of the Constitution already provides that it is the duty of both the family, the State and society to ensure the rights of children and adolescents.

"There is a shared responsibility among all of us," he said. "The role of the media is essential to deconstruct certain myths regarding the rights of children and adolescents and to convey the information that we are all responsible for guaranteeing these rights", he stressed.

For the lawyer, the Legal Framework for Early Childhood, legislation passed in 2016, which created a series of programs, services and initiatives aimed at promoting child development, is another element “of this trajectory as a country in the search for the guarantee of children's rights. and teenagers ”.

Child education specialist Vital Didonet warned of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood, noting that its effects vary according to Brazilian economic and regional inequalities.

“Children are characterized by movement and interaction. (...) The quality and intensity of his movement derives from the formation of sensory and motor intelligence ”, he said. “During the pandemic, these two characteristics were compressed. Most children live in tiny houses. Being surrounded by movement produces monotony, boredom, mental inhibition ”.

The need to address the issue of child development in order to make the work of women, who are most often responsible for the care of children and the elderly in Brazil, visible, was the theme of the lecture by UN Women consultant, Márcia Vasconcelos, during a workshop for radio broadcasters in the Southeast on February 4.

“This attribution of care to women has deep social roots and consequences for all people. Depending on how we think about care, to which all children are entitled, we can deepen inequalities for women or promote their autonomy and empowerment ”, he declared.

"The naturalization of care work as an attribution of women has an impact on the position they occupy in society and their educational and economic opportunities".

According to the IBGE's National Household Sample Survey, in 2019, Brazilian women devoted 21.4 hours per week to unpaid domestic work and care work, while men devoted 11 hours. Between 2016 and 2019, this difference between the male and female averages increased from 9.9 hours to 10.4 hours a week.

The workshops aimed to raise awareness among broadcasters about these topics and the importance of responsible news coverage for early childhood, in order to protect and promote rights. “Often, it is only through radio, television, that the population becomes aware of their fundamental rights”, said ANDI's communication coordinator, Luciana Abade.

Altogether, 249 journalists participated in the workshops, 67 from the Southeast, 50 from the Midwest, 38 from the North, 57 from the Northeast and 37 from the South.

 

About the Joint Fund for the SDGs

The Joint SDG Fund (Joint SDG Fund) is a United Nations program that, in Brazil, seeks to strengthen public services aimed at early childhood through support for the Happy Child Program (PCF). Its goal is to encourage countries to accelerate the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an integrated manner, with the support of the UN System.

In Brazil, the Joint Fund for the SDGs aims to increase the participation and retention of the municipalities eligible to the Criança Feliz Program, expanding the number of beneficiaries and beneficiaries and supporting the capacities of its professionals and the quality of interventions. It also aims to support the Ministry of Citizenship under the PCF to strengthen and improve interventions and actions aimed at children and their caregivers.