Journalists strengthened to make better use of data on sexual and reproductive health and family planning

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Extract from the article: Some thirty journalists from the nine member countries of the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) took part from 19 to 21 June 2024 in Cotonou, Benin, in the Regional Workshop for Journalists on the use of research in the field of Sexual and Reproductive He

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Some thirty journalists from the nine member countries of the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) took part from 19 to 21 June 2024 in Cotonou, Benin, in the Regional Workshop for Journalists on the use of research in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Family Planning (SRHR/FP). Organised by the Unité de Coordination du Partenariat de Ouagadougou (UCPO) in partnership with Population Concil, the workshop provided an update on the OP's priorities and the role of journalists and bloggers in achieving the 2030 goals. The aim ist to provide journalists and bloggers with better tools for the proper use and dissemination of evidence-based research data to strengthen the case for SRHR/FP. The aim is also to share with media professionals the main indicators and sources of evidence on SRHR/FP.

UCPO is concerned with making better use of research data on sexual and reproductive health/family planning (SRH/FP) in the media. To this end, journalists and bloggers from Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo were given training in the processing and dissemination of scientific information relating to sexual and reproductive health rights.The workshop enabled journalists to make information on reproductive health and family planning research data more accessible.

In his opening speech, Dr Rodrigue Kohoun, Technical Adviser for Primary Health Care, representing Benin's Minister of Health, urged journalists to use « evidence-based sources of information » in order to have an impact on the public.  To achieve these objectives, participants learned about reliable sources of data on SRH/FP, key indicators and the quality of research findings on family planning, and the contribution of artificial intelligence to media productions.

Decomplexing information about SRG/FP

The media must transform scientific language, which is « complex, into community language ». According to the OP, the adoption of a language that is not too complex makes it easier to understand what is at stake in terms of sexual and reproductive health rights, and makes political and programmatic decision-makers more accountable for evidence-based decision-making. 

For Fatou Bintou Mbow, Director of the Population Council's Senegal office, « journalism and blogging are much more than simply recounting events. It's about digging beneath the surface, going beyond appearances to reveal the complex and nuanced reality of our world. That's where research comes in, as an indispensable tool for any journalist or blogger who is serious and committed to their mission of informing the public in an accurate and impartial way ».

UCPO's Senior Advocacy Officer, Dr Djénébou Diallo, pointed out that research is currently being carried out in the field. The research focuses on three themes: young people's access to reproductive health services, discontinuity, and free family planning. « We want these research findings to help politicians and decision-makers make evidence-based decisions. We believe that journalists are key players. We want to see a real connection and collaboration between journalists and researchers.It is often difficult to understand the language of these scientists. It is this myth that we want to break », she said.

The production of quality publications by journalists helps to move the political decision-making process in favour of sexual and reproductive health and rights/family peace in the OP countries. In addition, the quality of the productions should raise awareness and convince young girls and women to adopt modern methods of contraception for their family and social well-being.

At the end of the workshop, Awa Seydou, Freelance journalist and blogger (Mauritania) said: « This workshop helped me to understand the role we have to play in getting people to adopt family planning.We need to use accessible language, to get people talking and to provide information in an understandable way ».

Over the three days, the workshop alternated between presentations, group work, followed by feedback and site visits: the NGO Iléwa Corner, which is a user-friendly space where young people can access various services, including the SSRAJ services and the mobile clinic, and a social mobilisation activity carried out with the women of the Dantokpa market.

William O.