The National Human Rights Commission of Korea(Chairperson, Lee Sungho) selected winners of the 5th Human Rights Reporting Awards with the Journalist Association of Korea(Chairperson, Jung Kyusung) and had a ceremony on 25 February 2016 at the press conference hall of the Korea Press Foundation.
The Grand Prize of the 5th Human Rights Reporting Award went to the ‘Embarrassing Record, Child Abuse(Lim Intaek and 4 others, Hankyoreh Newspaper)’ which tracked a death of a child who was abused, corrected under-estimated status by the government or institutions regarding the death due to child abuse, and proposed alternative by identifying areas where the society can interfere to prevent death of a child.
The Main Prize went to the following reports.
‘Human Rights Blind Spot- featured report on the dark shade of the industrial complex(Kim Hwangi and 3 others, Kyungin Ilbo’ which dealt with infringement of human rights and labor rights of workers at national industrial complex.
‘Winning of administrative law suit regarding arbitrary check on personal information by investigative agency(Gwangju MBC)’ in which the administrative law suit that lasted for 2 and a half years confirmed the principle that the material related to inspection of investigative agency should be opened to public.
‘Report on victims of forced abortion on people with Hansen’s Disease(Edaily) which dealt in detail with the forced abortion by the state on people with Hansen’s Disease until 1970’s.
Consecutive report on ‘Brothers with disabilities living in Mapo(CBS) which highlighted the issue of human rights of people with mental disabilities who are living in pain due to social prejudice, stigma and the gap between the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities and the Mental Health Act.
‘Report on the death by a forklift truck in Chungju(Chungju CBS and JTBC) which reported in detail the death of a worker happened while covering industrial accident and brought about punishment on related people.
The Human Rights Reporting Award was first given in 2012 in a bid to select and spread reporting cases that contributed to promotion and protection of human rights so that the Guidance on Human Rights Reporting, which was jointly devised by the Commission and Journalist Association of Korea in September 2011, can take root in Korea.
Winners were selected among the reports broadcasted last year by a selection committee composed of 8 experts from the media, academia and civil society.
Standards for selection was whether the report gave a light to the hidden human rights issues, whether the report interpreted the existing social, economic and cultural phenomenon from human rights perspective, whether the report continued to deal with human rights issues and whether the report abided by the Guidance on Human Rights Reporting.
The Commission and Journalist Association of Korea will continue to select the Human Rights Reporting Awards in January or February every year.
