TRT World investigative report wins prestigious journalism award

Two TRT World contributors have won India’s most prestigious journalism award for an investigative news report on women from the lowest social strata working in harsh, unhygienic conditions, resulting in many of them undergoing hysterectomies due to infections picked at work.

The report – titled ‘Why uterus removal is common among India's manual scavengers’ and published on October 13, 2022 – was a collaborative work between two New Delhi-based freelance journalists, Zoya Hussain and Hera Rizwan.

They received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Investigative Journalism from India’s federal minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, at a glittering function in New Delhi on March 19.

Instituted by the Ramnath Goenka Memorial Foundation of the Indian Express media group, the awards acknowledge and honour the best of journalism, showcasing outstanding contributions from print, digital and broadcast journalists across 13 categories, including investigative journalism, sports, politics and government, books, feature writing and regional languages.

The award-winning report delved into the lives of thousands of women across India who have been forced to surgically remove their uterus after picking up infections at work – manual cleaning of dry toilets that involves picking up faecal matter with bare hands, loading the waste into cane baskets or metal troughs, and carrying them on their hips and head for disposal.

"I feel so honoured to receive this award for an issue I have been dearly passionate about,” says Zoya Hussain on the honour.

“I've been working with the community for more than five years. When I pursued this story, the sole aim was to be their voice and bring discussions among the policymakers and government officials. I really hope that officials will (now) take note…and bring some action towards their welfare.”

“I am incredibly proud of this achievement and grateful for the support and platform TRT World has provided us to bring such crucial yet underreported stories to the forefront. This accolade is a testament to our collective effort and dedication to impactful journalism," she adds.

Hera Rizwan says, ‘It feels great to be recognised by one of the most coveted and prestigious awards in journalism. It definitely inspires me to strive harder to bring out more untold stories to the world."

The award-winning report was part of a Thomson Reuters Grant given to Zoya Hussain for reporting on social inclusion.