Ghana:25 journalists trained, incorporated into IPPF Africa Journalists Network
The Executive
Director of Plan Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPPAG), Mrs Abena Adubea
Amoah Acheampong has charged journalists in the country and beyond to endeavor
to study hard and engage health experts to gain adequate knowledge and
information on sexual and reproductive health issues confronting people to be
able to shed more light on them for solution.
According to
her, sexual and reproductive health issues including population control and its
management are of utmost importance to human development and therefore ought to
be given much attention by journalists in their daily reportage.
“These
are issues that we need to always talk about so I will urge all of you. if you
want to be health reporters and want to report on sexual education, then you
must learn as much as you can, engage with the experts as much as possible to
bring out the real issues” she stressed.
Mrs
Abena Acheampong was addressing a group of journalists at a 1-day training
workshop on Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights(SRHR) at the Alisa Hotel in
Accra on October 3, 2018.
The
workshop dubbed: “#RightByHer Journalists Training Workshop” was initiated by
the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Africa Regional Office (IPPF),
Plan Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPPAG) and sponsored by the State of the
African Women’s (SoAW) Report Project.
It
was aimed at equipping journalists with knowledge on the basis of Sexual
Reproductive and Health Rights(SRHR) reporting and its terminologies to further
improve SRHR stories and articles to increase its sector.
According
to Advocacy Officer of the #Rightbyher Campaign, Mark Okundi, the rationale
behind the workshop was to train and incorporate journalists into the
#rightbyher campaign to serve as agents who can champion women rights issues
especially those that are captured under the Maputo Protocol and Maputo plan of
action ratified and signed by different African governments.
“So
we had training with journalists and we’ve just taken them through the basics
and what it takes to report on sexual reproductive health and rights and also
committed to be #right by her champions”.
“I
believe through the barrel of the pen and what it takes as journalists they’re
going to be champions and raise their voices concerning women rights issues
based on the commitment documents that cover the entire Africa not only in
Ghana”, he underscored in an interview.
In all 25 selected African journalists drawn
from Kenya, Togo, Cameroun and Ghana were vigorously trained on various
segments on health reporting including sexual and reproductive health issues, reporting
on emerging health issues, myths and misconceptions in health reporting and
ethics in health reporting among others.
They
were also introduced to the implementation progress of AU’s Maputo Protocol on
the rights of women in Africa and the Maputo Plan of action(MPoA)-which is the implementation
framework for the Continental Policy Framework on SRHR).
The
participants were incorporated into the IPPF Africa Journalists Network as new
members after the training. They were also charged to be committed and support
the #rightbyher campaign to achieve its target as champions.
The
Ghanaian counterpart of participants include Zadok Gyasi (Daily Graphic), Mabel
Faith Tannor (Daily Graphic), Patience Ampomah (GIJ), Portia Oforiwaa (Daily
Graphic), Fafa Agbenorto(ISD), Kwame Buckman (Top Radio), Aliya Bayali(ISD),
Joseph Kobla Wemakor (Editor-in-Chief, Ghananewsone.com), Justice Adoboe
(Xinhua News Agency), Ellen Agbavor (Ghanaian Observer Newspaper), Anita
Frimpong (Pink FM) and Prince Asiedu(GBC).
Addressing
participants, Mrs Abena Adubea Amoah Acheampong PPPAG’s Executive Director
appealed to the journalists to always strive to engage with experts from her
outfit, adding that they are willing and able to volunteer information on
issues regarding Comprehensive Abortion Care(CAC), Sexual and Reproductive
Health Rights(SRHR) and issues of cervical cancer among other health issues
regarding education on sexuality and rights of people.
“We
are there for you, so come to us for the information and the explanation that
you will need. If you need resource people on your programs, we have experts
within PPAG on all these issues”.
“I want you to make use of us and the
knowledge that we have to be able to advance the knowledge of this country”,
she underscored.
For
her part, Dr
Leticia Adelaide Appiah, Executive Director of National Population Council of
Ghana(NPC), stressed the need for journalists to always give accurate
information on sexual and reproductive health rights issues to help people make
informed choice on their sexuality.
According
to her, sexual health and reproductive information and services are components
of human capital development which includes population and economic development,
a crucial area of attention but unfortunately surrounded by so much myths which
ought to be cleared by journalists.
She
therefore appealed to the participants to always equip themselves with the
right information and offer accurate reportage to clear people’s minds off the misconceptions
and myths surrounding the population control, its management and sexual reproductive
health issues.
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