Communicating on child protection in the situations of natural disasters

Delegates participating the seminar

Opening the seminar, Deputy Director of the Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Nguyen Van Tien affirmed that since the beginning of this year, we have suffered numerous serious natural disasters. However, thanks to the decisive guidance, as well as the participation of forces, and the proactive actions of local people, human losses have been minimized.

The seminar not only provided knowledge and safe operational skills for journalists, but also emphasized the social responsibility of the press: every news bulletin, image, and caption must aim to protect children, raise community awareness, and highlight inspiring examples and human-interest stories. Hence, early warnings can be transformed into early actions, helping to minimize losses for society as a whole.

During the seminar, journalists from several provinces and cities across the country attended 7 main sessions related to child-centered communication in disaster situations.

Journalists discussing issues concerning communication efforts

This included an overview of the natural disaster situation in Vietnam and key issues in disaster prevention and control under the two-tier local government model; the current state of Vietnamese press and the role of media agencies in disseminating information on disaster prevention. Sessions also covered the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper’s work in communicating about disaster prevention and climate change; early warning of meteorological and hydrological disasters; as well as basic first-aid skills in emergencies; and skills for writing news and articles with a child-centered approach during disasters.

Seminar participants also exchanged and shared experiences and fieldwork skills for reporting on disasters across different types of media. Furthermore, they also discussed the ways to explore the systems of disaster management, monitoring, and early warning for floods and environmental incidents at Hue Smart City Monitoring and Operations Center (Hue-S).