Mr Archibald Adams, head of communications and advocacy unit of PPAG (standing) speaking at the trading workshop. Picture two is a group picture of participants and resources persons at the orientation workshop.

Journalists trained in reproductive health reporting

Samuel Duodu Nov - 09 - 2020 , 09:58

The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) sector has organised a two day capacity building training for some selected journalists in the Northern sector of the country.

The training programme was to update the knowledge of participants on SRHR issues to enable them report effectively.

Participants were taken through topics such as basis of SRHR , Ghana's abortion laws among others to enable them report on issues in the SRHR sector from the perspectives of population, sexual harassment , gender based violence, teenage pregnancy, child marriage and access to safe abortion.

Speaking at the two day orientation workshop held in Tamale, the head of communications and advocacy unit of the PPAG, Mr Archibald Adams said the training programme was also to set up a platform for journalists working in the area of SRHR where ideas and information would be shared to enable them report effectively on issues of SRHR.

He stated that when journalists who are key players in the dissemination of information are well informed and educated it would enable them to also provide the public with well-informed reportage as regard to what is happening in the SRHR sector.

Safe abortion

Mr Adams who also took the participants through the Ghana Abortion Laws said abortion can only be performed legally under four conditions when the pregnancy poises health risk, as a result of rape, incest and defilement and when substantial risk that foetus has or will have serious abnormality or disease.

He added that the law on abortion has mandated only registered medical practitioners who have specialised in gynaecology or any medical practitioner to perform abortion at recognised health facilities.

He said to reduce the incidence of unsafe abortion and stigma related to abortion, PPAG has helped trained some midwives to provide comprehensive abortion in some of the Ghana Health Service facilities cross the country.

Mr Kingsley Obeng-Kyreh, a Journalists, who also took the participants through the topic "Basis of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights", urged media practitioners to highlight stories and issues that are important to the communities being served.

He encouraged journalists to come out with well research and interesting articles to educate the public, especially the youth on SRHR issues to help address the incidence of teenage pregnancy, sexual assault, unsafe abortion among others.