Advocacy and Communication for Social Change
Through its Advocacy and Communication for Social Change component, UNICEF seeks to understand people, their beliefs and values, the social and cultural norms that shape their lives.
Through it Advocacy and Communication for Social Change component, UNICEF seeks to understand people, their beliefs and values, the social and cultural norms that shape their lives. It means engaging communities and listening to adults and children as they identify problems, propose solutions and act upon them. UNICEF sees the communication for behaviour and social change as a two-way process for sharing ideas and knowledge using a range of communication tools and approaches that empower individuals and communities to take actions to improve their lives.
To better understand what stands behind some practices that affect child health and development but also the lives of women in Kosovo, we are conducting qualitative research (focus group discussions and interviews, observation) to explore the individual and social factors that, for example, make parents and caregivers delay immunisation, give up to exclusive breastfeeding, use violent methods to discipline children.
Recent research in the area of domestic and gender-based violence and physical punishment of children, immunisation of children and exclusive breastfeeding have supported development and initiation of a series of communication campaigns and interventions that aim at empowering families, parent, caregivers to challenge existing norms and improve their parental practices.
UNICEF reinforced its collaboration with media to strengthen media engagement in promotion of children’s issues, contributing to bigger visibility of children’s issues, and ultimately, stronger commitment by stakeholders at central and local level to support advancement of children’s rights. We work with the Independent Media Commission, the Association of Kosovo Journalists and the Press Council to improve the legal and regulatory framework in the area of media and children, but also strengthen the capacities of media professionals in developing stories using as a starting point the best interest of the child, but also to become vocal advocates for children’s right at central and local level.