UiTM, Red Cross launch Young Humanitarian Journalists Competition

SHAH ALAM - The Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launch Young Humanitarian Journalists Competition (YHJC) 2022, commemorating 50 years of humanitarian action and journalism.

This year, the themes chosen for the competition were "Humanitarian action in Malaysia and beyond – lessons from the past and emerging challenges” and "International humanitarian law – alleviating human suffering”.

YJHC was launched to raise awareness of the impact media reporting had on humanitarian issues and to encourage youths to seek story angles that would proactively impact the community and the country positively.

This year’s competition is particularly significant as it marks the golden jubilee celebrations of the organisers which were established in the country in 1972.

Additionally, this year was also the 60th anniversary of Malaysia’s accession to the Geneva Conventions that made up the core of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

"We’re pleased to celebrate this special year by encouraging young people in Malaysia to report on humanitarian stories of the past 50 years,” said the head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Kuala Lumpur Biljana Milosevic.

She said through an increased awareness and understanding of IHL, it could provide the humanitarian lens through which the media could report on the issues.

UiTM FCMS Dean Associate Professor Dr Massila Hamzah urged young journalists and media aspirants to take on the challenge as intuitive humanitarian reporting could lead to positive changes for vulnerable communities.

"We also urge today’s youth to take into consideration (the) humanitarian actions that have alleviated human suffering, including the promotion of international humanitarian law,” she said.

The competition was open to all Malaysians aged between 18 and 30 either staying here or abroad.

Submission could be made in either essay or video format by November 11.