In a historic moment for Journalists for Human Rights, Executive Director Rachel Pulfer accepted the Michener-Baxter Award at Rideau Hall on Friday night, making JHR the first organization to earn this prestigious honour. 

Typically reserved for individual journalists, the Michener-Baxter Award recognized JHR for "its outstanding performance in extraordinary times", particularly our work to strengthen human rights reporting around the world, fight dangerous disinformation during the pandemic, and move at-risk Afghan journalists to safety after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021.

At the Michener Awards gala ceremony, Executive Director Rachel Pulfer thanked JHR staff, Board members and supporters in Canada and around the world whose dedication to human rights have made JHR's success possible.

In her acceptance speech, Pulfer also encouraged the journalism community to fully engage with the direst challenge facing democracy today: the global tide of authoritarian technocracy - which must be pushed back with facts and truth.
 

Over 20 years, JHR has seen our endeavour to empower independent media pay off with some truly incredible, life-changing, democracy-affirming results on the ground. 

As the global attack on human rights and democracy intensifies, we remain committed to our mission. If you wish to support this vital cause, please consider donating to our summer fundraiser and help us bring more Afghan journalists to safety.  

Anti-FGM activists in Kenya are doubling down their efforts to tackle the worrying rise in female genital mutilation (FGM) during the pandemic.

In the West Pokot county, the Chepkokogh village's security concerns and remote location results in the area's halted development and low literacy rate, which has a direct impact on women and girls' rights. During the pandemic, a high prevalence of FGM cases was observed, and the trend persisted during the December 2022 school holidays. 

In collaboration with community organization I-Rep Foundation, JHR-Kenya's Canada World: Voice For Women and Girls’ Rights project organized a public sensitization forum in Chepkokogh, geared towards engaging 150 male elders and securing their allyship in the ongoing fight against FGM.            

JHR-Kenya Project Coordinator Benard Ogoi believes that “male elders are influential as the custodians of cultural beliefs and practices. It is important that they are educated on the harm that FGM has on women and girls. With this knowledge, they are able to play an important role as change agents in helping to end FGM and all other forms of gender-based violence in their community.”

Forum participants included local chiefs, religious leaders, and cultural elders, who deliberated on their role in protecting women and girls from all forms of harm. 

Even though Kenya has criminalized all forms of FGM, inadequate resources and ineffective enforcement of the law continue to fuel impunity. Domtila Chesang, I-Rep Foundation executive director and founder, said, “Despite over 100 girls being [subjected to FGM] during this period, no arrests were made and no psychosocial support was offered to the survivors.”

However, the relentless work of anti-FGM campaigners like Domtila is gradually changing mindsets in the community. One elder said: “I always tell people in my village that FGM is not a good thing. I came to realize that women go through a lot of problems during childbirth due to FGM.” He underscored the importance of girls’ education in improving family livelihoods and general well-being. “I am a happy man because I am getting the fruits of education,” he said. “We should all say no to FGM.”

As a sign of commitment to making Chepkokogh free of FGM, approximately 20 elders led their peers in pledging to rally their community to abandon the practice and collaborate in all initiatives geared towards ending FGM. They acknowledged that their village had lagged for ages in development due to FGM and vowed to add their voices to the anti-FGM campaigns. 

We're gearing up for gala time! Night For Rights 2023 is taking place on Thursday, November 2 at the spectacular Liberty Grand in Toronto.

At this year's annual gala, we ask our community to join us in celebrating JHR's award-winning work to resettle vulnerable journalists and human rights defenders from Afghanistan, train and network media in Africa and the Middle East, and build pathways to journalism for Indigenous communities, BIPOC youth, and other underrepresented groups in Canada. 

Your presence at Night For Rights will translate into real-world impact around the world, as it is your support that fuels us to go further in our mission to mobilize media and change lives.  

To learn about sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tables and tickets, please send us an email here. Stay tuned for updates about the line-up for Night For Rights 2023!