Hong Kong, November 5, 2007 – Hong Kong broadcaster TVB Jade has won the ABU/CASBAA/UNICEF Child Rights Award 2007 for the documentary “Children Left Behind”.
“Children Left Behind”, a 30-minute documentary, chronicles the lonely lives of “home-alone” children in rural villages in China, a problem acutely felt in Hunan, Szechuan and Chongqing provinces. With parents migrating to urban centers in search of work, large numbers of children – over 22 million – are left on their own or under the care of elderly relatives.
The Asia Pacific Child Rights Award, established in 2001, is jointly organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF). The award is presented each year to the best television programming on child rights issues produced in the Asia-Pacific region. It recognizes the efforts of broadcasters in pursuing both the production of top-quality programming related to children and outstanding news coverage of children’s issues.
At the Awards presentation ceremony on November 2, held during the annual CASBAA Convention 2007, Catherine Lee Yuk San, the TVB documentary producer was praised for her powerful portrayal of children living without parental care in some of the poorest parts of China.
Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA said, “We are delighted to once again partner with the ABU and UNICEF on this project. Speaking on behalf of the industry, we will continue to make use of our collective broadcasting platforms to promote child rights and the healthy development of children’s lives.”
Madeline Eisner, UNICEF Regional Communication Advisor for East Asia and the Pacific said: “This year’s award coincides with an important milestone for children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world, turns 18. By seeking to share children’s stories, uncovering violations of their rights and fostering an understanding of our responsibility towards them, the media plays a critical role in creating a better world for children.”
David Astley, Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union said, “The Child Rights Award continues to provide an important platform for broadcasters in the Asia- Pacific to share their quality programming on children’s issues. The ABU congratulates TVB Jade for winning the Award this year. Their winning entry “Children Left Behind” is a poignant documentary on issues facing children and we look forward to seeing more and more quality programming on children’s rights by Asian broadcasters in the future.”
More than 60 entries to the competition were received from Australia, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong SAR of China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Laos PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
The winning entry was selected by a panel of jurors made up of distinguished television producers and industry representatives including: Wang Yan, Producer, Children’s Channel, China Central Television (CCTV); Amar Keshar Simha, CEO & Senior Producer, Himalaya Films P.Ltd.; Francis Smith, Executive Producer, Infocus Asia; Ariunjargal Luvsantseren, TV Director, Children’s Programme, Mongolian Radio and Television; Francis Donovan Castillo-Mohlman, Vice President, Program Strategy & Development, STAR TV and Bonny Yu, Vice President, Programming, Walt Disney Television International, Asia Pacific.
The top ten finalists in 2007 are:
WINNER
Children Left Behind (Hong Kong)
Producer: Catherine Lee Yuk San
Production Company: Television Broadcast Limited, (TVB) Jade Channel
This documentary, broadcast as part of the Sunday report series, chronicles the lives of children who are “left behind” in the villages of rural China, when their parents migrate to urban areas in search of work. As part of China’s economic boom, it is estimated that over 120 million rural migrants have moved to urban areas to work in factories and construction. A new phenomenon in China, the number of children “left behind” is now estimated to be over 22 million.
FINALISTS
Children in Rural Bhutan (Bhutan)
Producer: Kinley Penjor
Production Company: Juthrul Gharkhen Communication
Children in remote places teach us that education is not only in the classroom but in life itself. Balancing challenges in their home environment with their other responsibilities is not hardship if approached with understanding, a sense of purpose, peace of mind, and the joy of being oneself.
Daughters on Sale (India)
Producer: M. Venkatesh & P. Revathi
Production Company: CNN – IBN
If the test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children, there is hardly any evidence left to say that these are still ethics left after this special investigation – “Daughters on Sale”. For a mere Rs15,000, RS12,000 or even a couple of thousand less than that, parents in Rajahamundry are ready to turn their daughters into sex slaves. This special investigation uncovered the racket wherein girls of about 11 years old in this historic town of Andhra Pradesh are being pushed into the sex trade.
On the Abandoned Track (Indonesia)
Producer: M. Abdoeh Aziz
Production Company: Pt. Media Televisi Indonesia – Metro TV
Wahyudi, Ropik and Ade dan Wanto live their days as baggage carriers. This documentary explores how these children struggle to make ends meet by using their carts to transport goods and people around a village, north of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
Fields of Fire: Seeds of Hope (Australia)
Producer: Melissa Hunt
Production Company: Sky News
Two years after neighbourhood riots that tore apart the Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields, this programme looks at how the community is rebuilding, and how young people are turning their lives around to become leaders of their generation.
The Kobe “A” Case – 10 years for both the victims and assailant (Japan)
Producer: Masako Horikawa/Mutsumi Wakayama
Production Company: Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
It’s been a decade since serial attacks on children in the Suma Ward of Kobe in Japan, where two were killed, took place. This documentary explores the pain for the parents as they seek justice for their children’s deaths and explores the complexity of the juvenile justice laws in the country.
Let Me Win – Children of the Special Olympics in China (China)
Producer: Huang Hai-Bo
Production Company: Phoenix Satellite Television Co.,Ltd.
This programme captures the excitement in the 4th Special Olympics China National Games in Harbin, China. It reveals the touching stories of the intellectually disabled athletes and their families.
Reporter’s Notebook: Discrimination (Philippines)
Producer: Ma. Juzzara Simbulan
Production Company: GMA Network
School is often considered a child’s second home, a haven where students are free to grow, learn and play. As this documentary explores, school is not always an equally friendly place for all students. For some, it is a place where they can first experience how cruel the world can be.
To Wherever the Wheelchair takes me (Japan)
Producer: Chieko Kakeshita
Production Company: TV Asahi Corporation
This documentary tells the story of a 16 year old boy who, physically challenged and bound to a wheelchair, is determind to pursue his education. But as his wheelchair hampers his mobility, he finds out there are very few universities that accept physically challenged students.
Children of Lapindo Mudflow (Indonesia)
Producer: Dicky Martiyaz
Production Company: News Feature Department, RCTI
The programme tells the story of children in a village which was swept away by a mudflow explosion in East Java.
Note to the Editors:
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is a non-profit, non-government, professional association of broadcasting organisations, formed in 1964 to facilitate the development of broadcasting in the Asia-Pacific region and to organize co-operative activities amongst its members. It currently has over 170 members in 55 countries, with its broadcaster members reaching a potential audience of about 3 billion people. It organizes many activities and projects to promote excellence in broadcasting, and to improve the programmes, skills and technologies of its members, including the ABU Children’s TV Programme Item Exchange. www.abu.org.my
Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA)
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) is an industry-based advocacy group dedicated to the promotion of multi-channel TV via cable, satellite, broadband and wireless video networks across the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA represents some 128 Asia-based corporations, which in turn serve more than three billion people. www.casbaa.com
UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. www.unicef.org/eapro
For further information, please contact:
Francyne Harrigan: ABU (Kuala Lumpur), +603 2282 3592, francyne@abu.org.my
Carmen Mak CASBAA, + 852 2854 9940, carmen@casbaa.com
Helen Shek: CASBAA, +852 2854 9943, helen@casbaa.com
Madeline Eisner: UNICEF Bangkok, +66 2 356 9406, meisner@unicef.org
Shantha Bloemen: UNICEF Bangkok, +66 2 356 9407, sbloemen@unicef.org