Beyond Borders Media Awards announces 2009 nominees

WINNIPEG , Sept. 28 /CNW/ - Beyond Borders, Canada's global voice against child sexual exploitation, announced the nominees in its annual, national, bilingual media awards today.

The awards program, in its seventh year, honours journalists and documentary makers for exceptional coverage of issues related to child sexual exploitation.

"The media play an important role in terms of the work that Beyond Borders does," states event co-chair, Deborah Zanke. "Journalists and documentary makers help to raise awareness, point out areas of the justice and social services system that aren't working to protect children and motivate the public and politicians to take action on issues related to the sexual abuse of children."

    
    The 2009 nominees are as follows:

    English Print Award

    Tim Petruk - Kamloops This Week, Targeting Teens within Seconds.
    February 22, 2009.

    Jana Pruden - Regina Leader-Post, Pedophile and Predator: The Darren
    Philpott Story (series), November 2008

    Sandie Benitah - CTV.CA, Sex tourism and Canada's weak response.
    August 2, 2009.

    Sue Montgomery - The Gazette, Brothers stand accused; Dark side of the
    'chaste' life; Ruined lives of victims; Legal motion claims sex abuse.
    December 2008.

    Tamara Cherry - Toronto Sun, Human Trafficking: Canada's secret shame
    (series). September/October 2008.

    Tamara Cherry - Toronto Sun, Tina: Slave to a pimp (series),
    February 2009.

    Lindor Reynolds - Winnipeg Free Press, "Body of Work" on issues related
    to sexual exploitation between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009.

    French Print Award - No submissions

    English Electronic Award

    Robin Benger - Cogent/Benger Productions Inc., CBC Television, Porndemic:
    Sex in the Digital Age. April 2, 2009

    Sharlene Azam - Reluctant Hero Productions, SBS Netherlands, Oral Sex is
    the New Goodnight Kiss, January 2009.

    Brett Mitchell, Victor Malarek, Patti-Ann Finlay - CTV W-Five, Trail of a
    Sex Tourist, March 2009.

    Arthur Holbrook - CBC - The Lens, My Son the Pornographer, February 2009.
    French Electronic Award

    Marquise Lepage - Cenéma ONF (Montreal), Des billes, des ballons et des
    garcons, 4 semtembre, 2008.

    Myriam Fimbry - Radio-Canada - Première chaine, radio, Abus sexuels chez
    les jeunes enfants: le défi de la preuve, 12 février 2009

    English Student Award

    Ben Choy & Vanessa Ybarra - British Columbia Institute of Technology, Sex
    and the City. 2009 (Electronic)

    Jillian Kestler-D'Amours - Concordia University - Behind the velvet
    curtain. 2009 (Print)

    Megan Martin - Concordia University, Human rights school. June 2009
    (Published in the Montreal Gazette).

    Lindsay Lafreniere - Concordia University, Working to stop child
    prostitution in Cambodia. (Print).

    French Student Award - No submissions
    

Zanke is pleased with the calibre of nominations and the range of topics covered but is disappointed that in spite of the efforts to reach out to the French journalism community, there are no nominations in the French Print or French Student category this year.

The awards ceremony honouring the winners will take place in Winnipeg on November 20 (Universal Children's Day).

More information about the awards can be found at www.beyondborders.org and on Facebook under "Beyond Borders Media Awards".

About Beyond Borders

Beyond Borders is a national non-profit organization that advances the rights of children to be free from sexual exploitation. It is an affiliate of ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) operating in 75 countries around the world.

For further information: Deborah Zanke - [phone]