Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Despite the adoption and implementation of the child rights act in Nigeria, violence against children seems to be on a steady increase. Violence against children is considered as those acts by other persons especially adults that undermine and threaten the healthy life and existence of children or those that violet their rights as humans. This study analyses the frequency, length, prominence level, direction, and sources of information reported on violence against children in select national daily newspapers. It then provides information on the role of the newspapers in Nigeria in the fight against child violence and public awareness of the impact of violence against children on the development of the nation and the attempts to curtail such violence. The composite week sampling technique was used. As such 168 editions of Daily Sun and Punch newspapers published from January to December of 2016 were selected. Data were collected using code sheet and analyzed via content analysis. The result showed that the frequency of the newspapers’ reportage of violence against children in Nigeria was low. Again, it was found that the length or space given to reports on violence against children was inadequate, the direction of the few reports on violence against children was in favour of the course or fight against child violence and these newspapers gave no prominence to reports on violence against children. Finally, it was found that a major source of news about violence against children was through journalists; government and individual sources provided only minimal information.