By Ragan M Conteh
The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) has ended a day’s national media workshop on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)‘s sensitive reporting.
The workshop took place on Friday 10th May 2024 at the Hotel 5-10 , east end of Freetown.
The workshop drew participants from television, radio and newspaper institutions across Sierra Leone.
Giving the status of the FAHP activities, the Executive Secretary of the Coalition, Madam Aminata Koroma, informed participants that FAHP is a coalition of over 20 civil society organizations with the aim of ending all forms of harmful traditional practices and gender-based violence in Sierra Leone.
She further said that FAHP has also engaged in advocacy for zero tolerance on FGM in the country.
Madam Koroma maintained that as a coalition one of their activities is to train religious and traditional leaders on the need to help curtail the prevalence of FGM practice across country.
She went further to elucidate how the media training geared towards impacting knowledge on journalists in FGM reporting.
She dilated that the training further gives more information about FGM reporting and advocacy skills.
In his succinct and thoughtful statement, the Program Manager of FAHP, Mr Ishmael Cole informed participants that as a coalition they have done extremely well in terms of advocacy to end FGM in the country.
He spoke on the several engagements they have conducted in respect to changing the mind set of stakeholders, soweis and communities inhabitants on the dangers associated to the heinous practice.
Mr. Cole pointed out that FAHP has established 40 “husbands-clubs” as part of the Irish Aid project, and with 40 “mothers-clubs” as well as using education and strategic advocacy to end FGM in the country.
The coalition, he said, has set up adolescent clubs so as to inject positive education on the need to end FGM.
“We have established schools of influence clubs, village savings loan scheme as well as promoting the economic status of women in communities across Sierra Leone,” he asserted.
As a way to work towards zero tolerance on FGM, Mr Cole added that FAHP has supported and is still supporting FGM related cases and the coalition is making steady progress on those cases.
He told journalists that the coalition has engaged schools’ rehabilitations.
He ended that the coalition is working on zero tolerance and it sees FGM at every stage as traumatic and it fights to minimize human rights violations.
Mr Cole stressed that FAHP is also working towards providing education and policy formulation.
The Lead facilitator, Kelvin Lamin Lamdo, gives gave a PowerPoint presentation on Mainstreaming Female Genital Mutilation as sexual and gender-based violence in the mass media.
Lamdo pointed out that journalists should crosscheck information with the right authorities before publishing the FGM stories.
He urged the media to know the various advocacy timeline and plans with FAHP and what to put out and at when.
He urged participants to promote and protect the image of FAHP by using close collaboration with FAHP.
He also highlighted how journalists should be dedicated on reproductive issues, and FGM/SGBV reportage.
Various participants pledged their commitment on zero tolerance and on the need to continue their advocacy using their various media platforms.