Chairman and Information Commissioner of Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) and Co-Director of Centre for Media, Human Rights and Peacebuilding (CMHRP) Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw and Co Director of CMHRP Dr Senthan Selvarajah on 17th January, 2020 launched a new book they co-authored, titled: Reporting Human Rights, Conflicts, and Peace-building, Critical and Global Perspectives, at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Headquarters, Campbell street, in Freetown.
The book launch which took place at SLAJ headquarters, Campbell Street in Freetown, was witnessed by a galaxy of personalities drawn from all walks of life including members of the Fourth Estate.
Making a statement before the formal launch of the book, Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw informed his audience that the book is important because it builds of his earlier works since 2007 to 2012 to 2013. He added that this particular edition is broader and deeper in that he brings on-board the ideas of scholars and other learned people in human rights issues.
According to him, the book addresses the deficit of research on the role of the media in addressing and preventing human rights violations within a just, peaceful and peace-building framework.
He added that the book further discusses how human rights and conflicts’ transformation approaches can become mutually assisting and reinforcing rather than working in isolation. He said the new book embraces a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches including critical, interpretive, social scientific and pragmatic.
This book focuses on the reporting of human rights in broadly defined times of conflicts and it brings together scholarly and professional perspectives on the role of the media in constructing human rights and peace-building options in conflict and post-conflict environments; drawing on case studies from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. “It also provides critical reflections on the challenges faced by journalists and explores the implications of constructing human rights and peace-building options in their day-to-day professional activities,” he said, adding that the chapters embrace a variety of theoretical, empirical and methodological approaches that will benefit students, scholars, and media professionals alike.
Highlights of the book launch included a presentation of Book Review by the Hon. Justice Dr. Abou Binneh Kamara while the official launch of the book was done by Hon. Mathew Nyuma, Chairman, Parliamentary Oversight Committee, Information and Communication, Deputy Leader of Government Business.