The News Minute journalist Sukanya Shaji and former TNM reporter Nithya Pandian bagged two awards at the 14th Edition of the Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2024. Along with them, our Kerala Chief of Bureau, Haritha John, has won a jury appreciation citation. The awards were presented on Wednesday, September 4, in Thane, Maharashtra.
Sukanya Shaji, who is an Associate Editor, has won the award in the ‘web e-magazine category’ for her story ‘Conversion therapy’ still continues in India, despite a ban. The story details how hospitals disguise “conversion therapy” under established medical treatments, making it difficult to hold perpetrators accountable. The article highlights the continued abuse and exploitation of LGBTQIA+ individuals, including cases of forced treatments and extortion by medical professionals. Sukanya has been a recipient of two Laadli awards in 2022 and 2023 for a story on gender power dynamics in revenge crimes and the acquittal of Franco Mullakkal, respectively.
Our former colleague Nithya Pandian has won the best news web series award for her two-part series exploring how menstrual segregation is practiced in rural and urban spaces. The series explores the ongoing practice of menstrual segregation in Tamil Nadu and highlights how rural women in certain communities are discriminated against and banished to separate, often unsanitary, "muttuveedu" (rest houses) during their periods—a tradition justified by cultural beliefs. The second article shifts focus to urban areas, where segregation is subtler but persists within households, reflecting deep-rooted stigmas.
Haritha John, the Chief of Kerala bureau, has won the jury appreciation award in the English web feature category for her story ‘Making lifestyle changes to manage PCOS isn’t affordable for many women’. The article talks about the financial challenges women face in managing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) through lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet, regular exercise, and stress management, which are often expensive and inaccessible to many women, especially those from lower-income backgrounds. The piece urges the need for affordable and inclusive healthcare solutions to address the socio-economic disparities that make effective PCOS management difficult for a significant portion of the population.