As members and partners to the global movement to end child marriage, we are all committed to building a world where all girls and adolescents can access their rights and act on their choices. As such, we are also responsible for ensuring that girls and adolescents are at the centre of our communications, and find the storytelling process to be a source of power.
The fourth session of the Girls Not Brides online Learning Series focused on how to communicate powerfully and responsibly around child marriage.
In this session, we shared information on:
- Ethical communications principles and best practices
- What an ethical communications process looks like, from the point of view of a contributor
- What tools are available to put these principles into practice
- What challenges and solutions other organisations have found in communicating responsibly
Key takeaways:
- To communicate ethically, we need to consider the power dynamics between the contributor and the person gathering their story.
- Power dynamics depend on personal characteristics – like gender, race, ethnicity, caste or age – and how they are valued in any interaction.
- Ethical communications are contributor-led and should:
- Centre the rights, safety, autonomy and agency of contributors
- Work with contributors as equal partners
- Prioritise consent and facilitate it as a multi-staged and ongoing dialogue
- Challenge stereotypes and avoid oversimplified and dehumanising narratives
- Practical guidance and tools available in the Girls Not Brides guidelines
You can watch the session back and view presentations, notes and resources, downloadable below.