IPAS schools 50 journalists

Fifty journalists of the Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG), drawn from both the print and electronic media have benefitted from 2-day training on Women’s Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.

The training was held at the parliament administrative building at OAU Drive, Tower Hill, Freetown, from the 23^rd to 24^th June this year.

The training was aimed at building the capacity of the Parliamentary Press Gallery to enable them effectively report on sexual reproductive and health issues.

President of the PPG, Elias Bangura, expressed appreciation to the organizers for conducting such a relevant and timely workshop, describing it as an opportunity.

He reminded journalists of their responsibility to report on issues of national interest, especially those bordering on women’s health and on people marginalized in society.

Director of Information in Parliament, Mr. Seray J. Smith expressed the need for journalists to be exposed to legislative matters, adding that Women’s Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights is significant and that Journalists should be capacitated to report on such issues.

The Information Director lauded the organizers and stressed the importance of family planning. He noted that Sierra Leone has been losing many lives to abortion due to poor family planning.

Representative from Parliamentary Committee on Health and Sanitation, Mohamed Gevao, described the Kenyan-sponsored IPAS training as timely, recalling that similar trainings had been organized for Members of Parliament.

Earlier In her opening statement, Country Director, Ipas, Valerie Tucker said Ipas works in collaboration with local partners to develop and implement programs and projects.

Valerie Tucker went on that the two days training was to build the capacity and confidence of the PPG to enhance them in their reporting on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. This, she added, can make the PPG become champions and ambassadors in the fight against unsafe abortion.

She noted that one of the objectives of the workshop was to provide journalists an opportunity to share the recent developments on the issue of addressing unsafe abortion in Africa and in Sierra Leone in particular.

Presenting a paper on Social Construction, Communications and Advocacy Advisor, Sylvia Wamugi, referred to unsafe abortion as a silent deadly pandemic.

Ipas is a global Non Governmental Organization dedicated to ending preventable deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion through local, national and global partnership. IPAS works to ensure that women can obtain safe, respectful and comprehensive abortion care including counseling and contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies.

By Mohamed Y. Turay

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!