Children in crises and the role of reporters – tell the media what you think · Global Voices
Rachel Rawlins

Where is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child? This is the question asked in a poll by AlertNet, the early warning network for humanitarian organisations, to highlight some of the world's forgotten crises.
The results will be featured in a debate about the responsibility of the media to cover “forgotten crises” and how best to do it. Why do some emergencies receive more coverage than others? And do children in risky situations get fair representation in the mainstream media?
Global Voices readers and writers are all invited to take part too, as members of the new media landscape of citizen journalism as well as critical consumers of the mainstream media.
The speakers will be in London but anyone with an internet connection can take part too. The debate will be streamed on live audio here, and all those interested can contribute to the discussion via IRC (internet relay chat) using the instructions on the live event internet page.
Both our South Asia editor, Neha Viswanathan and I shall be at the debate putting questions and contributions from the Global Voices community to the panel. The debate is due to start at 1400 UCT/GMT.
This is the first event in a new AlertNet initiative, its Media Bridge which is aimed at improving media coverage of humanitarian crises.
So how would you answer the question “where is the most dangerous place to be a child?”
These are the factors which AlertNet asked the journalists and humanitarian professionals taking their poll to take into account which they consider can make a place dangerous, or risky, for children:
armed conflict (including the risk that children may be enlisted as combatants)
physical violence of any kind (outside or within the family)
mental violence
displacement
sexual abuse and trafficking
early marriage
child labour
a lack of formal identity, including birth registration
the absence of parental care
detention without sufficient cause
a lack of freedom of expression
discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity or disability
poverty
HIV/AIDS and other diseases
a lack of vital services (including education and healthcare)
hunger
More than 40 countries, including the United States, were among those suggested. Find out what the results were at the debate.