The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos State Chapter, held its dual-purpose Congress and specialized Training Workshop on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the NUJ Secretariat, Iyalla, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
Organized in commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour 2026, the event focused heavily on strengthening journalists capacity to safely and ethically cover stories involving vulnerable minors.
The day commenced with the NAWOJ Lagos Congress, where executive members provided comprehensive updates on the chapter’s recent monthly activities and unveiled upcoming projects. The association actively invited new partners and corporate collaborators to join hands with NAWOJ Lagos in executing its impactful community programs.
Deliberating on matters of national urgency, the Congress issued a strong appeal to all levels of government in Nigeria to proactively secure communities within their domains. NAWOJ emphasized the critical need to protect educational environments, demanding an immediate end to school kidnappings and the tragic loss of innocent lives.
In a moment of celebration, the Congress warmly acknowledged the emergence of Mrs. Damilola Sonayon as the Deputy Governor designate for the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate. The association extended its best wishes to her and all female aspirants across various political parties in Lagos State, reinforcing its commitment to supporting women aiming for leadership positions.
Following the conclusion of the Congress, NAWOJ transitioned into an intensive Training Workshop titled “Ethical Reporting of Children: Issues and Matters Arising on the Child Rights Act, 2003”.
The technical session was facilitated by Dr. Jide Johnson, Director of Special Programmes at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). Dr. Johnson laid a sobering foundation for the training by presenting stark data on the contemporary state of children in Nigeria from recent developmental and labor assessments.
Out of an estimated 105 million children in Nigeria, nearly 1 in 2 live in income poverty, while 4.5 million urgently require humanitarian assistance. Approximately 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million of secondary school age remain completely out of school. Citing the Nigeria Child Labour Survey 2022, Dr. Johnson highlighted that 39.2% of Nigerian children are trapped in child labor, with 22.9% (representing over 14.3 million minors) engaged directly in hazardous work. He provided historical context on the evolution of child protection frameworks, tracking the global progression from the 1924 Geneva Declaration to Nigeria’s domestic passage of the Child’s Rights Bill in July 2003, which was subsequently assented to as the Child Rights Act (CRA) by President Olusegun Obasanjo in September 2003.
A major highlight of the presentation was the breakdown of the “Baskets of Rights” mandated under child advocacy laws:
Survival Rights: Right to life, medical attention, balanced nutrition, and clean water.
Development Rights: Access to quality education, information, play, and freedom of thought.
Protection Rights: Safety from exploitation, abuse, child labor, and involvement in armed conflicts.
Participation Rights: Engaging children in structures and decisions affecting their lives.
Dr. Johnson strongly argued that child-centric reporting must be treated as a highly specialized branch of journalism. He outlined the core ethical principles that reporters must enforce.
”The primary consideration in every assignment must be the best interest of the child, eclipsing any desire to break a story or inform the public. Journalists must protect a child’s right to privacy and confidentiality, avoid publishing content that puts them or their peers at risk, and ensure our reportage never further stigmatizes or traumatizes a vulnerable minor” he said.
The highly interactive workshop served as an open forum for Lagos women journalists to share personal experiences, challenges, and ethical dilemmas encountered in the field. Attendees then expressed deep appreciation for the training, noting that the session successfully sharpened their reporting skills and fortified their understanding of the Child Rights Act, 2003.
Through this initiative, NAWOJ Lagos Chapter reaffirms its unwavering dedication to the welfare of women journalists in Lagos, uplifting journalistic standards, protecting vulnerable demographics, and actively advocating for balanced gender representation in national leadership.
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