Population council holds workshop on family planning

AMMAN — The Higher Population Council (HPC) held an awareness-raising workshop for media professionals about sexual and reproductive health as well as family planning on Sunday.

The workshop was held in cooperation with the Jordan Association for Family Planning and Protection with the support of the Dutch SheerNet project.

Attended by media professionals and experts in the population and development sector, the workshop aimed to “enhance the awareness of media professionals on issues of sexual and reproductive health and family planning in Jordan to raise the efficiency of media professionals when covering issues related to this field,” said Director of the Media and Communication Unit at the Council Etaf Hadid.

“By raising the press’ awareness about these issues, we simultaneously raise community awareness and contribute to changing opinions and behaviours towards these issues,” added Hadid.

She highlighted the importance of the media’s role in supporting population and development issues, including those of sexual and reproductive health and family planning, as the media is “an essential partner in achieving the Council’s awareness goals”.

One of the main researches of the council, Ghaleb Azza, also gave a presentation on awareness-raising in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth in Jordan, citing a study that revealed that more than 85 per cent of teenagers do not have access to adequate sex education.

Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator in the Council, Nasreen Qassas, covered the topic of how media professionals can address population and development issues, including reproductive and sexual health in their media outlets.

Shaima Jawawdeh, a gynaecologist working with the Jordan Association for Family Planning and Protection, gave a presentation on family planning and matters related to breast cancer and cervical cancer.