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December 3, 2010
Awards tip hat to journalists
Beyond Borders recognizes work that highlights child exploitation.
REBECA KUROPATWA
“We recognize that we’d be nowhere without the stories – journalists probing, doing extensive investigative work to bring the issue of child sexual exploitation to light,” said Beyond Borders president and co-founder Rosalind Prober.
Beyond Borders is a national nonprofit organization that advances the rights of children to be free from sexual exploitation. It is a representative of ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), operating in 75 countries around the world.
Beyond Borders held its eighth annual Media Awards on Nov. 19 at the Hotel Fort Garry in Winnipeg, honoring journalists and filmmakers for exemplary coverage of child sexual exploitation. This year, independent judges evaluated 30 nominations in five categories, and the winning stories skilfully illustrate the complex issue.
“These kinds of stories are very difficult and dangerous to cover,” said Prober. “It’s important to honor journalists who go that extra mile to bring this issue to the forefront of public scrutiny. Journalists writing these stories don’t just walk away after covering them. They lose their naïveté.”
In 1996, Prober started Beyond Borders with Mark Hecht. That same year, she authored the “Prober Amendment” to the Canadian Criminal Code’s child sex tourism legislation. It broadened the existing legislation so that any Canadian who sexually abuses children or is involved in child pornography while in a foreign country can be held accountable under Canadian law.
“When journalists cover this issue, it forces Canadians to ask what we need to do as a country to protect children,” said Media Awards co-chair Deborah Zanke. “These awards recognize this valuable role.”
She added, “Journalists are vitally important because they help raise awareness, point out gaps in the system to protect children, and motivate our political leaders to take action to improve laws and services to benefit those victimized by sexual exploitation.”
This year’s event co-hosts were Rick Campanelli from Entertainment Tonight Canada and Danielle Ouimet, a well-known Quebec actress and author. Winnipeg human rights advocate David Matas, who attended the awards ceremony and is a Beyond Borders board member, has been an active member of the organization almost from its inception, noted Prober. “The prestige and hard work he has given to this cause is invaluable,” she said.
The evening’s keynote speaker, Meredith Ralston, spoke about her documentary, Selling Sex in Heaven, which won a Beyond Borders Media Award two years ago. The film is based on her work out of Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. Ralston and a colleague oversaw a development project in the Philippines in Angeles City, which has become a haven for sex tourism.
“What many enjoy most about the awards is the chance to hear from the award winners what it’s like to cover this issue – the challenges they had to overcome to get the story,” said Zanke. “Newspapers, in particular, have scarce resources and so dedicating time and funds to do a feature story, sometimes involving travel to places like Haiti, is significant.”
Don Lajoie of the Windsor Star won in the English print category for “Fallen Angels,” a five-part series on humanitarian misconduct in Haiti. His coverage of child sexual abuse committed by aid workers was the result of a two-month investigation.
“Voleurs d’Enfance,” a series by Kathleen Frenette of the Journal de Québec, won the French print award for its look into the lives of men undergoing rehabilitation after sexually abusing children.
StandAlone Productions and Working Title Productions’ Olin Quam, Shelley Woodman and David Bercovici-Artieda won the English electronic award for their documentary, Think Again. In it, interviews with three survivors of the sex trade shed light on the causes and consequences of child sexual exploitation.
According to Zanke, the message for Think Again is clear: “If you think sexual exploitation can’t happen to you, think again.”
L’incurable, by Radio-Canada’s Julie Vaillancourt, Laurent Richard and Pier Gagné, won the French electronic award for its exploration into the mind of a pedophile.
“In L’incurable, the mind of pedophile Camil Girard is revealed without reservation – due to a hidden camera,” said Zanke. “He tells of manipulation, the fear of authorities, hiding his many computer servers with over 100,000 photos of children, the failure of therapy and the impotence of the system to constrain and control his deviance.”
Priya Tandon, a student at the University of Manitoba, won the English student print award for “Girlie bars and everything in between,” a first-person reflection on Thailand’s sex trade.
“Priya went on vacation to Thailand and was shocked when confronted by images of sex tourism and the young girls caught up in it,” said Zanke. “She had the courage not to look away and asked questions. When she came home, she decided to write about her experiences and the U of M’s student newspaper, the Manitoban, printed her article.”
Recently, Beyond Borders opened a second office, which is located in Montreal.
Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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