Source: Malawi News Agency
Lilongwe — Journalists from the Central Region on Friday 15th April, 2016 underwent a Family Planning and Human Rights Protocol training workshop organised by the United Nations Population Agency (UNFPA) at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi district.

Speaking at the workshop, Reproductive Health Specialist for UNFPA Jean Mwambira said media plays a vital role in informing the society in various issues affecting people in the communities including issues of family planning for married women and all women of child bearing age.

"The objective of the training was to build a critical mass of advocates for Family Planning and Human Rights based approach and demographic dividend to reach out to family planning users, couples and young people with correct and consistent information for informed decision in making choices on contraceptive methods," said Mwambira.

She said family planning failed to work in the past because of religious teachings which urges people to multiply as sand.

"Family planning is now used as a tool for development, it is used for controlling population, in fact it is a human right and gender equality issue," said Mwambira.

At the end of the training workshop, Central Region journalists joined the Media Network on Population and Development whose intention is for UNFPA to build relationship with the media to advance the program in family planning and human rights protocol.

According to the Demographic Health Survey 2015, contraceptive prevalence rate for married women is at 57 percent and 33 percent for all women of child bearing age.

• Malawi