INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT BEGINS RADIO SERIES TO EXPLAIN ACTIVITIES TO CENTRAL AFRICANS

The International Criminal Court (ICC) today launches a series of radio programmes in the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of an outreach campaign aimed at informing the country's population about the court's mandate and activities.

The 13-episode series, which will be broadcast in the Sango language, is called "Understanding the International Criminal Court" and uses a question-and-answer format. At least 14 separate radio stations are expected to air the programmes.

The radio programmes are the result of some 50 outreach sessions held by the ICC in the Central African capital, Bangui, between January and June this year.

Individual episodes will be aired once a week, and the topics include the structure of the court, the rights of suspects, judgement and sentencing and the rights and responsibilities of witnesses and victims.

The situation in the CAR is one of four – along with Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda – currently under investigation by the Prosecutor of the ICC, an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
________________

TIMOR-LESTE AND UN LAUNCH RADIO SOAP OPERA ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

TIMOR-LESTE AND UN LAUNCH RADIO SOAP OPERA ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
New York, Mar 20 2009 10:00AM

A new radio soap opera featuring the forbidden love story of a young Timorese couple is the latest initiative by the Government and the United Nations to raise awareness about reproductive health issues.

Launched last week by the Ministry of Health and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the series – Domin Familia – spotlights a typical Timorese family, the Amarals, as they deal with various subjects such as family planning and safe motherhood.

"This initiative is one of the activities where the Ministry of Health emphasizes the importance of creating culturally-sensitive and rights-based materials addressed to the people of Timor-Leste," said the Minister of Health Dr. Nelson Martins.

The soap, which airs on Saturday evenings on Radio Timor-Leste (RTL), features a forbidden love story between Lena Amaral, the youngest of her family, and Julio, the son of a cock-fighter. Adding to the drama is the fact that Lena's older brother, Octavio, is against the young couple.

The 24-episode series is written and performed by local theatre group Bibi Bulak.

"It aims to address reproductive health issues in an entertaining way, ensuring that the audience has access to relevant information intended to increase awareness," according to a news release issued by the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).
________________