Safe
Hands for Girls in partnership with the Gambia Press Union yesterday launched
the FGM Media Award for practicing journalists reporting on FGM in The Gambia.
The award is being funded by Human Dignity Foundation.
Speaking
at the press briefing, Lisa Camara, Global Media Campaign Coordinator and
chairperson of the award, said the press briefing was about the upcoming FGM
Media Award.
She disclosed to the media that the award was
not a new thing as it was mentioned about 2 years ago when the global media
campaign was launched in The Gambia.
She
further disclosed that the award will be held July 8 at the Djembe Beach Hotel,
and the categories of the award are best print, radio, and community radio
personality, the best TV Program, radio house, print house, and community radio
house.
There
will be also an overall best media house award, best photography and video
journalists and the overall best media personality.
She
said the application forms and criteria have been sent to all media houses to
apply in each of the categories and send it back earlier before the deadline.
“It
is open to all practicing journalists reporting on FGM and the deadline for
submission is 26 June 2017,” she said.
Since
the launch of the campaign in 2015, they have worked with a lot of journalists
across the country through National TV/Radio, community Radios, print and it
has been amazing, she said.
She
said The Gambia has gone beyond the expectations of reporting on FGM compared
to their counterparts from Nigeria and Kenya.
She Human Dignity Foundation that has been
supporting every work they have been doing on FGM in the country since the
launch of the campaign in 2015.
For
her part, Jaha Dukureh, FGM Advocate and founder of Safe Hands for Girls, said
the media has a strong way of getting their messages across to the people
everywhere in The Gambia.
She
said at Safe Hands for Girls they appreciate the role that media play in
society in not only reporting on FGM but everything that has to do with all the
challenges they are faced with.
In
his remarks, Saikou Jammeh, Secretary General of the Gambia Press Union,
indicated that the GPU has been part of this initiative since the onset, adding
that this was a follow up to the launch and the training that took place in the
media academy.
“We
all know that FGM has negative implications on women and girls and it affects
them and their development, wellbeing and education,” he remarked.
He
said the award could not have come at a better time because it would encourage
journalists to go all out and come out with stories that are really award
winning stories.