Health lobby urges media to promote positive reporting on reproductive health
Glory Kathambi, Head of Programmes and Advocacy at the Alliance, said the training was organised to equip media practitioners with the skills needed to pursue impactful stories capable of driving change and influencing policy.
The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance – Kenya is encouraging journalists to pursue health-related stories that highlight the urgent situation surrounding sexual and reproductive health in the country.
Through a training programme dubbed "Pleasure-Based and Sex-Positive Reporting and Storytelling for Media Actors", the organisation aims to strengthen media capacity in shaping informed and inclusive narratives around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), while also promoting support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) through pleasure-positive storytelling.
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Glory Kathambi, Head of Programmes and Advocacy at the Alliance, said the training was organised to equip media practitioners with the skills needed to pursue impactful stories capable of driving change and influencing policy.
“In acknowledging the influence and significance of the media, we’re engaging journalists so that critical issues, often underreported, related to sexual and reproductive health receive the attention they deserve,” said Kathambi.
She also emphasised the importance of strengthening partnerships between the media and reproductive health lobbies to ensure impactful advocacy and sustained engagement.
Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance-Kenya Youth Engagement Officer Ramwaka Nyadzuwa during a training with media practitioners in why they're strengthening partnerships between the media and reproductive health lobbies for impactful advocacy and sustained engagement. (Photo: by Justin Ondieki)
“We’re inspiring journalists to take leadership in transforming how sexuality and pleasure are framed in both mainstream and alternative media,” she added.
Ramwaka Nyadzuwa, the Alliance’s Youth Engagement Officer, highlighted the importance of recognising sexual rights as human rights.
“It is important to note that sexual rights and human rights are central to a person’s sexuality. These are the building blocks of pleasure-based sexual health,” said Ramwaka.
The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance – Kenya is a coalition of 19 organisations and institutions working to promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people and women across Africa, Asia, and Europe.
According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya is committed to ensuring that its citizens attain the highest standard of health by 2030. This includes the elimination of preventable maternal and newborn deaths, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, teenage pregnancies, and new HIV infections among adolescents and young people.
Kenya has enacted legislation to advance SRHR as part of achieving universal health coverage. However, challenges persist on the ground. Many women and girls lack knowledge about menstruation, contraception, sexual and gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and constitutional provisions related to SRHR in Kenya.
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