Staff Reporter

Two Bhutanese female journalists are among 14 recipients of the 2024 South Asia Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (SALMAAGS), which recognises their contributions to advancing gender sensitivity in South Asian media.

Damchoe Pem, 34, a freelance journalist and Yangyel Lhaden, 27, a reporter with Kuensel, are the first Bhutanese female journalist to win these awards.

Damchoe Pem has more than a decade of experience in journalism. As a full-time reporter, she primarily covered issues related to women and children, employment, crime, LGBTQI, gender, and the judiciary.

In 2023, she also won the ‘Best Gender Sensitive Story of the Year’ award at the Annual Journalism Award ceremony organised by the Journalists’ Association of Bhutan.

Yangyel Lhaden began her career as a reporter at Kuensel in 2020, initially covering stories on women and children. While her current focus has shifted to environmental and conservation issues, she continues to address gender topics in her reporting.

  “While our primary role as journalists is to inform the public, there is no greater joy than having your stories read, shared, and recognised. Such awards motivate us to work harder and add value to the work we do every day,” she said.

The SALMAAGS Award, which celebrates the media’s role in shaping gender perceptions, was officially announced on August 1.

This year marks the fourth edition of the Awards, which spans seven South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

These awards are an initiative of Population First, a Mumbai-based social impact organisation that has been working for over two decades to promote gender sensitivity in media nationwide.

The Award issupported by the UNFPA and in collaboration with South Asian Women in Media (SAWM), the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

The award ceremony will be held at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai on October 9.

The 2024 list of awardees for SALMAAGS award also include Shumana Sharmin and Taposhi Rabeya Akhi from Bangladesh, Sonali Wanigabaduge and Aanya Wipulasena from Sri Lanka, Aishath Mohamed and Zamath Ahmed Waheed from Maldives, Binita Dahal and Kalpana Bhattarai from Nepal, Jamaima Afridi and Rabia Arshad from Pakistan, and Zarghuna Salehi and Waslat Khan from Afghanistan.

Established in April 2008, SAWM is a network of women media professionals in South Asia, dedicated to advancing press freedom, increasing women’s participation in media, and fostering a gender-sensitive work environment. With its central secretariat in Lahore, Pakistan, SAWM operates with country chapters across eight SAARC nations.