Advocacy and Media

Media Workshop

Organising workshops for the media persons was one of the recommendations that emerged from the consultations. The basic idea was to sensitize the media about the issues and to revitalize and make them partners in the leprosy elimination programme.

Media Partnership Workshops across India

Participants at each of the workshops on 'Advocacy Strategies and Role of Media for the Elimination Of Leprosy' organized by ILU in the high endemic states in the year 2004 2005, made strong suggestions to spread leprosy awareness in the media to promote leprosy awareness. ILU, therefore, picked up the threads and has planned for workshops to sensitize the media on leprosy issues with the partnership of ICONS, which is a known media agency,and with the support of TNF and the SMHF, IDEA India.

The objectives of the workshops were -

1.Networking with the Indian health, development and social issues reporters and writers: use the data base for interactions from the WHO Goodwill Ambassador's office in Japan, and from the Indian front runners in the battle against leprosy

2.Sensitizing the media with regards to the post-elimination movement for dignity and socio-economic integration of the cured people

3.Series of media stories by the participants and their colleagues all over India

4.Encouraging creative expressions through posters, photography, and social advertisement contests in the media, social work and medical colleges to fight the social stigma and discrimination;

5.Mainstreaming the issues related to the cured persons within the popular and the mainstream media

6.Creating the right awareness about the usage of proper terms and expressions related to leprosy and the cured people, apart from awareness on the medical aspects

7.Seek the suggestions and commitment of the media with a time frame;