Deadline: October 16, 2022
Applications are open for the WHO Violence Against Children Reporting Contest 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) are conducting a Violence Against Children reporting contest to raise awareness and spur dialogue around critical – yet underreported – issues of violence against children around the world.
Despite its scale and impact, violence against children is rarely covered in the media outside of one-off stories around specific incidents. Little attention is given to its direct impact on families and children, much less, its toll on socioeconomic development and public health. Violence prevention efforts, which require societal and political buy-in, also receive little coverage. Journalists thus play a key role in amplifying violence prevention issues that garner the attention of the public and policymakers.
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Prizes
- In each of the eligible countries, a $1,000 first-place prize, $750 second-place prize, and a $500 third-place prize will be awarded.
Program Dates:
8/23/2021 – 10/31/2022
Program Type
Online Course
Eligibility Criteria
- Journalists reporting on violence against children in English or Spanish in Colombia, Kenya, and the Philippines are eligible.
- To be considered, your violence against children story must be:
- published between September 1, 2022 and October 16, 2022, and
- use best reporting practices from the WHO new media guide for proper reporting on violence against children.
How to Apply for WHO Violence Against Children Reporting Contest
Send your story submission to skhashimov@icfj.org by October 16, 2022, to be considered.
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About the WHO Violence Prevention Reporting Program
Despite its scale and impact, violence against children is rarely covered in the media outside of one-off stories around specific incidents. Little attention is given to its direct impact on families and children, much less, its toll on socioeconomic development and public health. Violence prevention efforts, which require societal and political buy-in, also receive little coverage. Journalists thus play a key role in amplifying violence prevention issues that garner the attention of the public and policymakers.
In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), ICFJ prepared a media guide for reporting on violence against children. The guide can be found here. Through a two-week online course, 60 global participants developed and expanded skills for covering critical issues and violence prevention. WHO and ICFJ also partnered to organize six regional webinars before holding a call for story grant applications. 14 journalists were selected to receive funding for their stories that focused on solutions for violence against children.
Online Course on Violence Prevention
The two-week online course on violence prevention took place in December 2021 and was designed to enable journalists around the world to strengthen their reporting on issues related to violence against children and effective interventions. Topics covered included:
- – Child violence in the news
- – Why the voice of the child is newsworthy
- – Experiences of journalists reporting on child violence
- – Hooks for child welfare stories
- – Child welfare reporting tips
- – Carrying out interviews with children and their networks
- – Resources for reporting on child violence
The online course additionally trained participants on the basics of data journalism, fact checking, and audience engagement.
Contact Info
Sher Khashimov
Program Manager
skhashimov@icfj.org
Rebecca Blessing
Program Assistant
rblessing@icfj.org
