Projects & Events

Workshop for journalists on Post Rape Care

30 August 2011

Population Council South Africa and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project’s post rape care workshop seeks to address the ethical challenges that journalists face in reporting and writing about sexual assault issues. The workshop also aims to empower journalists with accurate and accessible HIV-prevention information, particularly post exposure prophylaxis for those affected by sexual assault.

 

The workshop is intended to encourage journalists to engage more frequently with sexual assault issues and to have the confidence to do so accurately and ethically. Doing so will empower news consumers with the knowledge required to deal with sexual assault appropriately and will go a long way to addressing the stigma and taboo associated with sexual assault.

Objective of the post rape care workshop

PCSA and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project will facilitate the Post Rape Care workshop. Objectives are:

• To encourage ethical, accurate and informative reporting on sexual assault issues.
• To empower journalists with the knoweldge, understanding, insight and key contacts necessary to cover sexual assualt stories.
• To increase knowledge amongst journalists on the post rape care services that are available to survivors of sexual assault.
• To engage critically with issues of stigma and the ethical challenges associated with sexual assault.
• To discuss and analayse how sexual assault is currently covered in South Africa.

Participation in the training

PCSA and the HIV/AIDS and the Media Project have identified the following media practitioners who will benefit from this training:

• Print media journalists
• Radio presenters/journalists
• Television presenters/journalists

Key members of the civil and medical sector are involved in facilitating the programme, These include:

• Sexual assault experts (who will share technical information around sexual assault)
• The South African Police Service
• Public health facility officials (to share information about procedures and protocol around post-rape care)
• Sexual assault NGOs (to share their interventions on the community level and speak about the psycho-social support they provide)

Implementation of the training

PCSA and the HIV/AIDS and Media Project are hosting a one-day journalist training/workshop event. The workshop is outlined as follows:

• Introduction and rationale of the training
• The importance of engaging with the issue of sexual assault
• Understanding post rape care
• A discussion of the rights and responsibilities of sexual assault survivors and perpetrators and the role of the SAPS
• An assessment of how the media is currently engaging with sexual assault issues
• A discussion of the key messages central to reporting on sexual assault as well as the ethical challenges associated with covering this issue
• Engagement with NGOs who provide care for survivors of sexual assault

 

The workshop will take place on the 30 August 2011 from 08:00- 16:00 at the Wits Development Hub in Johannesburg

A full programme will be made available shortly.

 

RSVP to:

Thulani Cele

Communications Officer, Population Council South Africa

Tel: +

Fax: +

Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)