ILO Voices Against Child Labour | A Media Competition 2024

By
Kelvin Ejeta
-

This media competition goes beyond being a mere contest and serves as a rallying cry for media professionals and students to actively engage in a significant worldwide mission. By utilizing their voices and expertise, they are urged to make a tangible impact in combating child labor, leveraging their influence for a meaningful cause.

ILO Voices Against Child Labour – A Media Competition

ILO Voices Against Child Labour

The competition Objectives include:

  • Building awareness and advocating for change: To improve understanding of the intricate issues and realities surrounding child labor in Africa by enhancing public awareness.
  • Empowering and engaging stakeholders: To improve outcomes in the fight against child labor by empowering and involving local communities, activists, media practitioners, and others.
  • Highlighting successful approaches: To shine a spotlight on creative, efficient strategies various organizations and communities are deploying across Africa to address child labor.
  • Encouraging advancement: To motivate positive change at all levels, including policy, and encourage advocacy, by sharing and promoting persuasive stories.

Competition Themes

  • The issue of child labor in Africa
  • online and offline technology Innovation to address child labor in Africa
  • Examining gender dynamics in child labor in Africa
  • Community-driven approaches to tackling child labor in Africa
  • The responsibility of supply chain participants in fighting child labor in Africa, with a specific focus on the Cocoa, Coffee, Cotton, Tea, and Gold Mining industries.

Awards

Grand Prize:

  • Journalist Invitation: A single journalist will be invited to participate in and cover the “Knowledge Sharing Forum: Creative Approaches to Combat Child Labor and Forced Labor in Africa” in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2024. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your talent on a regional platform and bring attention to a vital cause.
  • Expenses covered: The ILO will cover all travel expenses and provide allowances by organizational policies, ensuring a comfortable and enriching experience for the selected winner.
  • Capacity-building event participation: In addition to the forum, the winner will also be invited to participate in a knowledge-sharing and capacity-building event, which will further enhance their ability to report on issues related to child labor.

Top Journalists

  • Top 10 participants selected: Up to 10 outstanding participants, ensuring gender balance, will receive invitations to attend a dynamic knowledge-sharing and capacity development event in Kampala, Uganda, scheduled for October 2024. This event offers an exceptional chance to broaden one’s knowledge, develop professionally, and establish connections with professionals who share similar interests.
  • Sponsored expenses: The ILO will fully sponsor the travel and daily expenses of these journalists, following organizational guidelines. This sponsorship aims to create a focused environment for learning and fostering collaboration among the participants.

Visibility

  • Recognition and exposure: The winning entries, along with other notable entries, will be showcased on the ILO’s website, as well as its social media platforms. Additionally, they may be utilized in upcoming ILO workshops, trainings, and events, ensuring broader visibility for the participants’ work.
  • Consent for publicity: The competition winners give their consent for the ILO to use their name, and winning entry, including any accompanying pictures and videos, for post-contest publicity and the development of training materials. This helps in promoting the achievements of the winners and furthering awareness of the contest.
  • Final decision: The decision regarding the awards is considered irrevocable and cannot be appealed.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Journalists, filmmakers, photographers, and media professionals working for African or international media outlets with a focus on African topics, as well as students from specified countries enrolled in African universities, are eligible to participate. The countries include Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Egypt.
  • Minimum age requirement: Participants must be 18 years or older.
  • Multiple participation areas: Participants can choose to contribute in a maximum of two areas video, written media, and photo stories.
  • Consent forms required: All entries must be accompanied by the relevant consent forms, which must be signed and attached.

Judging Criteria

  • Insightfulness and awareness
  • Thorough research and understanding: Entries should exhibit in-depth analysis and knowledge of child labor issues in Africa, shedding light on the complexities and hardships faced by children in forced labor.
  • Innovative solutions: Submissions should go beyond addressing the problems and should also propose or present inventive and viable approaches that are being employed to tackle child labor in Africa.
  • Ethical and Sensitive Reporting
  • Factually accurate and fair: Entries must be based on factual and precise information, providing an impartial perspective that upholds the dignity and rights of the affected children. Care should be taken to avoid exaggeration or sensationalism.
  • Protection of vulnerable subjects: Special care must be taken to shield the identities and safeguard the well-being of the children depicted in the submissions. This should include measures to ensure that the content does not put them at risk of further damage or stigma.
  • Engagement and Impact:
  • Factually accurate and fair: Entries must be based on factual and precise information, providing an impartial perspective that upholds the dignity and rights of the affected children. Care should be taken to avoid exaggeration or sensationalism.
  • Protection of vulnerable subjects: Special care must be taken to shield the identities and safeguard the well-being of the children depicted in the submissions. This should include measures to ensure that the content does not put them at risk of further damage or stigma.
  • Creative and Compelling Storytelling
  • Engaging storytelling: The submissions should employ captivating storytelling techniques to effectively depict the harsh realities of child labour, humanizing the issue and forging an emotional connection with the audience.
  • High technical standards: Whether in written, visual, or audio form, the media pieces should exhibit excellence in terms of quality. This includes clear communication, well-composed visuals, and an overall polished presentation.
  • Cultural and Contextual Sensitivity
  • Cultural sensitivity: Submissions should exhibit a profound comprehension of the specific cultural backgrounds and contexts being portrayed, honoring and accurately depicting the diverse realities of African communities.
  • Empowering portrayal: While addressing the difficulties associated with child labor, entries should also emphasize the strength, dignity, and potential of both the affected children and the communities striving to combat this issue.

Submission Guidelines

  • Submissions should be sent only via email or WeTransfer to the provided email address on the official website.
  • Submissions must have an appropriate subject name in the following format: APPLICANT NAME_PROFESSIONAL OR STUDENT_VIDEO/WRITTEN/PHOTOGRAPHY.
  • The email should include:
  • WeTransfer submission for video, attached writing, or attached photo stories with descriptive captions.
  • Consent forms.
  • CV of the applicant (please indicate your gender).
  • Any written submissions, such as articles and essays, must not exceed 800 words.
  • Video submissions should be no longer than 7 minutes.
  • Participants can submit up to two entries across the available categories.
  • All submissions must center on one or multiple designated thematic topics concerning child labor in Africa.
  • For an entry to qualify, it must be original and recently developed (from June 2023 until the time of submission). If an entry has been published before, notification of consent must be given for the ILO to re-publish and use the publication.
  • Entries can be submitted in French, English, or local languages. However, non-English or French submissions must include a translation or subtitles in one of these languages. The translated version will be considered for judging, and participants are responsible for the accuracy and quality of their translations.
  • High standards for quality and presentation are important for entries to be considered. Submissions will be judged based on how effectively they convey the themes highlighted above and meet the objectives of the competition through the chosen medium.
  • Submissions must meet rigorous journalistic criteria, upholding the dignity and rights of individuals, especially children, depicted in the narratives.
  • No sensationalism
  • Veracity
  • Relevance
  • Educational relevance
  • Safeguards
  • Protection

For more information please visit the official website of ILO Voices Against Child Labour – A Media Competition    

Application Deadline

April 30, 2024.

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