Aware of the crucial role of the media in promoting strategies towards poverty eradication, Search For Justice; a member of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) in Pakistan organized a media briefing in commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October 2018.
In the media briefing, Search For Justice urged that Social protection is a basic human right for children, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC Articles 26-27). Based on the Convention, children have the right to social security and an adequate standard of living, both of which can be guaranteed for children and families who live in poverty through publicly-funded social protection.
Search For Justice did not only organize a media briefing and interviews as a means of eradicating child poverty through the media but it also participated in a media dialogue on the role of the media in addressing violence against children. Both the media engagements emphasized on the need to end violence against children as means to ending child poverty. The media dialogue discussed strategies towards ending violence against children as well as ending child poverty with regards to sustainable policies, allocation of resources, initiation of social protection schemes and engagement of all key stakeholders in protection of children. Panelists during the dialogue on the other hand urged the media to play its effective role on informing and educating masses on incidences of violence against children, child abuse; both of which contribute to child poverty. The dialogue took place at the Institute of Communication Studies University of the Punjab in collaboration with Search For Justice.
Ending child poverty can either be done through actions, awareness, policy formulation or lobbying. Whichever method is capable of producing results only if we are committed to the course of a world free of child poverty.