Ms. Wendy Abbey (right) and other participants at the workshop
THE HUMAN Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) has appealed to journalists to be mindful of the kind of language they use in reporting issues relating to the violation of sexual and reproductive health rights of all persons living in Ghana.
According to HRAC, journalists must endeavor to be sober in reporting sexual abuse cases like rape and defilement, among others, rather than trying to dramatize or sensationalize them for commercial gains.
Technical Advisor at HRAC, Wendy Abbey, issued the caution in an interview with DAILY GUIDE on the sidelines of a-day’s capacity building workshop on ‘Civil Society Monitoring and Evaluation Of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Ghana.’
The training organized by HRAC and the Ghana Coalition of NGOs was held on Tuesday at the Crystal Palm Hotel in Accra.
It formed part of efforts being made by the HRAC and Coalition of NGOs in Health to strengthen civil society’s role in monitoring government interventions on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) in Ghana.
The workshop helped to build the capacity of civil society on how to use a monitoring and evaluation tool and compendium of laws and policies on SRHR.
It also focused on how media as a branch of the civil society can embark on monitoring and reporting of SRHR within the milieu of the current SRHR legal regime.
According to Ms. Abbey, the media in Ghana more often tend to make “drama” out of sexual and reproductive health abuse cases, forgetting that such posture further stigmatizes the victims.
“There is a worrying trend in the way news and reports are sometimes carried, especially when you listen to news presenters describing sexual abuses of young people or young children,” she stressed.
She said “the drama that goes with the description is disheartening, when it is expected that we should rather have a sober reflection and report factually on the issue and not the drama or the sensationalism.”
The media, she went on to say, have a critical role to play in promoting sexual and reproductive health issues, adding that there was more to be done by all stakeholders to promote sexual and reproductive health rights in the country.
BY Melvin Tarlue