I am a reporter and a member of society –What would I do?

I am a reporter and a member of society –What would I do?

As a reporter my job is to provide information about a particular situation, in this case the situation of homeless girls. My report would aim at raising consciousness and bring awareness to the general public. My report would inform them the challenge homeless girls are facing and the possible solutions to address it.

I would find out how the girls got the street in the first place because it is assumed that every child comes from a home, the sanctuary of their existence. How did they end up in the street and classified “homeless”? I would try to establish if their parents are alive, where they are and their source of livelihood. Do they have the extended family social security system where every child belongs to all?

My story would bring their stories to the attention of the various stakeholders, the state for signing and ratifying the UN and African conventions and charters to protect all children, the homeless girls inclusive. I would call the attention of the local government authorities that collect tax from the community the homeless girls come from to take social responsibility they have towards the girls.

The influence of my report on the various stakeholders may take time; in the meantime these homeless girls would go hungry and exposed to risky situations. In their search for food, they can be exposed to all sorts of abuse including sex for food; this could lead to other consequences such as the risk of being infected with sexually transmitted infections that can eventually lead to HIV/AIDS . As a member of this very community if I am in a position to provide for them money to buy food for a few days and delay the risk of abuse for a moment in their lives, I would do so. This way I would have done my job as a reporter but also my duty as a member of the larger society; while calling on other stakeholders to takes social responsibility towards the girls to uplift their conditions with more strategic and sustainable support.