The media has been urged to disseminate accurate information on sexual and reproductive health and rights to aid the public in making informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Speaking at a five day workshop organized by the UNFPA in Koforidua last week, Dr. Sebastian Ellison,Reproductive Health Specialist for UNFPA indicated that sexual and reproductive health issues constitute a leading cause of ill health and death for women and girls of children bearing ages in developing countries such as Ghana.
The five day workshop was spearheaded by the UNFPA to empower media practitioners and communicators of the Media Communication and Advocacy Network (MCAN) to effectively and efficiently monitor, report, and advocate for Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights.
MCAN is a national network of media and communication experts formed and inaugurated in October 2002 in Ghana by UNFPA.
Dr.Ellison explained that whenever sexual and reproductive health needs are unable to be met; individuals, especially women are deprived of the rights to make crucial choices about their own bodies and future. This in turn negatively affects the welfare of their families and future generations.
The Deputy Country Representative of UNFPA Ghana, Erika Goldson, also underscored the importance of the media as the most powerful and cost-effective communication channels available for reaching policy and decision makers, civil society and the general public, thus the need for the media to put a spotlight on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The members of MCAN further discussed the need to reinforce their role in reproductive health reporting in a bid to better explain the relationships between the population, development and individual well-being.
The workshop was also to build the capacity of members of MCAN in organizational development to move them from an informal structure to a purpose driven autonomous networks.
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
By Desmond Frimpong
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