Scribes invited to file nominations for UNICEF Awards

The 7th UNICEF Awards for Children-Related Programmes in Telugu TV channels was launched on Tuesday. Reporters from 21 Telugu TV channels were present at the media symposium. The aim is to recognise and reward responsible media houses which will make impactful programmes on child rights issues in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Keynote speakers from UNICEF, experts in child rights and media, briefed the reporters on problems affecting children in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, Sonykutty George, officer-in-charge and child protection specialist, said, “Children lose their dignity because they are neglected, abused and excluded.

The only way to help a child to get back his/her dignity is to respect them and recognise their needs.” Dr Sanjeev Upadhyaya, health specialist, UNICEF, focused on Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of children in the two states. “While there is a decline in the deaths, more can be done to stop deaths of babies which are just few weeks old,” he said.

Statistics on the education system and disparities were presented by Prakash Reddy, education consultant, UNICEF. Calling the media ‘The Fourth Eye’ he encouraged the reporters to find stories that would highlight the real problems in the two states. Sattaru Umapathi, one of the jury members, shared some facts about the need to focus on children; especially girl children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse.

Ethical guidelines formulated by UNICEF were presented by P V Sharda, a communication and media expert. The interactive session saw many reporters giving their views on ethical issues while doing a story. The focus was on airing stories that would not affect or violate the basic rights of children.

The symposium witnessed an overwhelming response from the media houses that were enthusiastic in doing impactful programmes. Over 35 reporters from several TV channels expressed their interest in self-nominating for the awards.