Stephen Enoch
Journalists have been tasked with amplifying the plight of married adolescents and young mothers to address the growing challenges they face, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The was made during a two-day capacity-building workshop organized by the Participatory Communication for Gender Development (PAGED) in Zaria, Kaduna state.
The activity which held on Tuesday and Wednesday brought together media practitioners from Kano, Maiduguri, and Kaduna to strengthen reporting on girl-child education and the realities of young mothers.
The workshop focused on how journalists can move beyond conventional reporting to highlight solutions and opportunities within the education sector, especially for this group often overlooked in policy and public discourse.
Speaking at the workshop, the Programme Director of PAGED Initiative, Ummi Bukar, said the decision to engage the media was strategic, describing it as a critical driver of societal change.
According to her, the media plays a vital role in informing the public, shaping conversations, and influencing attitudes, making it central to efforts aimed at addressing sensitive issues such as early marriage and access to education.
Bukar noted that married adolescent girls are frequently neglected because they fall between policy categories, making them less visible in interventions.
“They are neither fully children nor adults, and by design, they tend to be forgotten.
“Many girls drop out of school due to early marriage, limiting their opportunities for personal and social development.
“There is the need to strengthen existing legal frameworks, particularly the Child’s Rights Act, which criminalizes early marriage while also advocating for the extension of compulsory education to cover full secondary schooling,” she stated.
Bukar further described the media as a powerful tool for behavioral change, stressing that consistent reporting on such issues can influence public perception and gradually shift deeply rooted societal norms.
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Also speaking, the Co-Chair of the Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE), Dr. Auwal Halilu, noted the workshop aimed to enhance journalists’ understanding of the realities surrounding adolescent mothers and improve the quality of education reporting.
He explained that the training was designed not to introduce entirely new skills but to refine existing ones, with a focus on solution-oriented journalism.
“Journalists have a role to play in the kind of stories they tell. It is important to move beyond highlighting problems to identifying opportunities that can drive change,” he said.
Dr. Halilu added that his presentation centered on real-life experiences gathered from fieldwork, providing insights into the challenges faced by adolescent mothers and the opportunities that exist to support their return to education.
He stressed that understanding these realities would enable journalists to produce more impactful stories capable of influencing policy and public discourse.
Dutch Journalist, Femke van Zeijl who facilitated the workshop highlighted the importance of collaboration among journalists across different regions and backgrounds.
She noted that despite cultural and linguistic differences, journalists often share common ethical principles, which makes knowledge exchange both effective and necessary.
Van Zeijl described the workshop as an opportunity to share experiences and give back to the society, having reported extensively in Nigeria over the years.
She also emphasized the need for journalists to be mindful of inherent biases that may affect how stories are framed, urging them to focus on amplifying voices that are often marginalized.
“It is important that we recognize that everyone deserves to be heard, regardless of gender or background.
“The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by stakeholders to address barriers to education and ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, has access to learning opportunities,” she added.
