Kathmandu, August 2:

The coverage of children’s issues by the print media rose by 84 per cent in 2004 as compared

to the coverage in 2003. A study titled ‘Print Media Coverage on Children’s Issues: A report 2004’, carried out by the Hatemalo Sanchar states that 4,553 children-related news items were published in eight daily newspapers in 2003, while 11,943 children-related news items were carried by nine dailies in 2004. The study analysed the news coverage under four categories namely development, protection, survival and participation of child rights stated in the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child (UNCRC). According to the study, 46 per cent of the news items were covered under ‘development’ category covering sectors like education, sports, awards and underprivileged children. And in this category, a significant number of news items was on education followed by news of sports, awards and underprivileged children.

The impact of armed conflict on schools, the closure of schools, strikes, issues related to private and community schools, support to schools, construction of school buildings, education

policy and issues of parents and teachers were also covered. Twenty-six per cent of the news items were on ‘protection’. News items and issues related to the armed conflict topped the list followed by child labour in this category, followed by sexual abuse and abduction. The

‘survival’ category got 20 per cent news coverage. The issues of health were covered under this category, followed by accident, death due to crime and natural calamities. These issues dealt with child deaths due to various diseases, need for financial aid for treatment, injuries due to mishaps, crime against children, death from natural calamities.