Gaon Connection has bagged twin honours at the 13th Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity held at Jaipur, Rajasthan, today, October 21.
Two ground reports from Uttar Pradesh which documented the crimes against Dalit girls have been honoured at the ceremony held at the Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur.
A story titled 2 murders, 22 months, 1 court proceeding — families of deceased Dalit cousins in Unnao still await justice reported by Manvendra Singh, and published on December 11, 2022, has won under the category “Hindi: “Web – Investigative story”,
Read the award winning story in English here
The second story, Accused out on bail for 8 years; tareekh-pe-tareekh for the minor victims’ family in Budaun gangrape-murder case, published on October 7,2022, won under the category “English: Investigative story”. It was reported by Shivani Gupta and Abhishek Verma (cameraperson).
Read the award winning story here
The first story to win the award was an investigation of a crime in which three minor Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao were allegedly poisoned in 2021. Two of them died while one survived.
The ground report mentioned that almost two years later only one court proceeding had been held to address the crime. The accused have also been under arrest since then with no progress on the case.
This story was part of Gaon Connection’s 10-part series on 10 themes to mark the 10th anniversary of India’s largest rural communication and insights platform.
The second award winning English Investigative Story reported on the gangrape-murder of two Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao in 2014. Gaon Connection reported that despite the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, the family of two minor girls were still awaiting justice.
This ‘stringent’ Act, meant to protect children from sexual offences, has a provision for speedy trial and stiff punishment. It was enacted after the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder, the Nirbhaya case. An offence under the POCSO Act is non-bailable. And the trial should ideally conclude within a year of the offence.
This story was part of a series titled ‘Twice Cursed’ launched by Gaon Connection last year to assess the lives of the rape victims years after the crime has been perpetrated.
The Laadli Media Awards are an initiative of Population First, a Mumbai-based social impact organisation, supported by UNITED Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) that has been working for the past two decades to promote gender sensitivity in media across the country.
At the 13th edition of the awards ceremony, a total of 87 journalists were presented with the Laadli Media Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity, while another 31 received the Jury Appreciation Citations.
According to a press release put out by Population First, more than 850 entries were received in 13 languages for the awards on gender sensitivity from across the country.
Dr Dev Swarup, Vice Chancellor, Baba Amte Divyang University, Rajasthan, graced the event as the Chief Guest, while special guests included Dr. Archana Sharma-Chairman Rajasthan State Social Welfare Board, Shri Ikram Rajasthani-Chairman Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru Bal Sahitya Academy, Rajasthan, and Anuja Gulati ,Programme Management Specialist, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Dr. A.L. Sharada ,CEO of Population First, who spearheads the media advocacy campaign for gender sensitivity – Laadli, said that during a yearlong advocacy intuitive – a total of 30 Jury meetings were conducted to identify the winners. Fifty-five eminent personalities from various walks of life, including academics, media, journalism, social activists, change makers, business strategists, authors, and more from across the country and some from overseas, made up the jury panels.
The grand event was held with the support from Lok Samvad Sansthan-a Jaipur based Media Advocacy organisation. “Laadli Media Awards continue to motivate budding journalists. This program not only helps them better understand and address gender-related issues but also prepares them to be agents of positive change in our society,” he said.
