This should be done with evidence-based information that are culturally sensitive and inclusive with the potential to influence positive policy reforms and legal frameworks and cultural practices for the protection of women, girls.

Dr Esther Muia, the Head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representation Office to the African Union Economic Commission of Africa (AU ECA) made this call at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia during a three-day media training workshop on sensitive reporting to ending child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The capacity building exercise was organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) with support from the UNFPA the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)Plan International and Global Media Campaign to End FGM and brought together selected media practitioners from West, Central and Northern Africa.

It was the second training session organised for African media practitioners aimed at boosting the capacities of journalists with sensitive reportage skills to lead and support campaigns geared at ending harmful cultural practices particularly child marriage and FGM.

Dr Muia observed that the Africa continent could not achieve any meaningful development when issues of children, girls and women were not addressed and regretted that entrenched harmful cultural practices particularly child marriage and FGM continued to affect the growth of women and girls in many countries in Africa.

Statistics from UNICEF had shown that in Africa, about 130 million girls and women were married at childhood, close to 140 million girls and women have undergone FGM while 14 million girls and women had experienced both FGM and child marriage.  

This, Dr Muia indicated, was unacceptable, and noted that the UNFPA, UNICEF and AUC had been working together to accelerate the elimination of child marriage and FGM in some countries in Africa and called for support from the media.

"We cannot underestimate the role of the media if we are thinking of ending these harmful practices including child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation", she said adding "for us at UNFPA, the media remains a pivotal partner locally towards achieving our target of zero unmet need for family planning, zero maternal death and zero gender-based violence".

Ms Success Babra, the Communications Officer of the African Union International for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU CIEFFA), noted that the adverse effects of harmful practices such as child marriage, gender-based violence and FGM on the education of women and girls and the nations could not be quantified.

She therefore underscored the need for journalists to see the call to support elimination of harmful practices as personal contribution to the development of women and girls across their respective nations

Ms Nena Thundu, Coordinator, Ending Harmful Practices Unit of the AUC indicated that media practitioners had the power and influence to lead the campaign against harmful practices especially abuses against children and there was the urgent need to work with appropriate stakeholders at the national and community levels to break the barriers.

Mr Sandy McCleery, the Development Counsellor of the United Kingdom Office to the African Unionnoted that the World Bank estimated that the global Gross Domestic Product could be $4 trillion higher for the period of 2014 to 2030 if child marriage were eliminated.

He therefore urged the journalists to work with facts and avoid stigmatisation to contribute to the scaling up of efforts to eliminate child marriage and FGM and protect survivors of harmful practices.