Reporting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Sexual Minorities: A Media Training Manual for Journalists in the SADC Region

Published by Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf), this manual was produced to build the capacity of media to counter hate speech, discrimination, and violence against sexual minorities, particularly related to their sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). It discusses sexuality issues using a human-rights-based approach, including providing information about relevant national, regional, and international laws and agreements. The manual argues that journalists must not just refrain from hate speech, but also be proactive in exposing the violations of rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities. As stated in the manual, "[t]he high prevalence of hate speech in the mass media against sexual minorities in Southern Africa is a hindrance to the fight against homophobia and the promotion of equal rights. The media has used great power to influence public opinion towards any issue affecting any group of people, including sexual minorities and other disadvantaged groups. Unfortunately in Southern Africa, the media has been abusing this power to perpetuate destructive and retrogressive stereotypes around minority groups."

The manual consists of the following three chapters:

• Chapter 1: Hate speech and media reporting on sexual and reproductive health and rights - This chapter examines hate speech from various public communication such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the internet-based social media.
• Chapter 2: Understanding human sexuality - This chapter discusses human sexuality and highlights myths and misconceptions around SRHR issues and sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
• Chapter 3: Human rights, national laws, and LGBTIs - This chapter examines human rights and legal issues related to SRHR and media reporting, including explaining basic human rights concepts and outlining legal agreements, as well as discussing capacity of news media personnel to use a rights-based approach when reporting on SRHR issues.

The manual was produced as part of the Mediating Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Southern Africa project (see related summaries below for more information), and is designed to be used by journalism trainers, training institutes, colleges, and universities to encourage the media's contribution to advancing human rights for everyone.