WHO Violence Prevention Reporting Program

Despite its scale and impact, violence against children is rarely covered in the media outside of one-off stories around specific incidents. Little attention is given to its direct impact on families and children, much less, its toll on socioeconomic development and public health. Violence prevention efforts, which require societal and political buy-in, also receive little coverage. Journalists thus play a key role in amplifying violence prevention issues that garner the attention of the public and policymakers. 

In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), ICFJ prepared a media guide for reporting on violence against children. Through a two-week online course, 60 global participants developed and expanded skills for covering critical issues and violence prevention. WHO and ICFJ also partnered to organize six regional webinars before holding a call for story grant applications. 14 journalists were selected to receive funding for their stories that focused on solutions for violence against children. 

Online Course on Violence Prevention 

The two-week online course on violence prevention took place in December 2021 and was designed to enable journalists around the world to strengthen their reporting on issues related to violence against children and effective interventions. Topics covered included:  

- Child violence in the news 

- Why the voice of the child is newsworthy 

- Experiences of journalists reporting on child violence 

- Hooks for child welfare stories 

- Child welfare reporting tips 

- Carrying out interviews with children and their networks 

- Resources for reporting on child violence 

The online course additionally trained participants on the basics of data journalism, fact checking, and audience engagement.  

Violence Against Children Reporting Contest

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) are conducting a Violence Against Children reporting contest to raise awareness and spur dialogue around critical – yet underreported – issues of violence against children around the world. The details can be found here.