Srinagar: Kashmiri journalist Hirra Azmat has won the prestigious ‘Scarf Media for Mental Health Award, 2023’.
Hirra bagged the third prize for her story on post-partum depression in Kashmiri women.
Headlined “Hallucinations’, `crying spells’, `suicidal tendencies’: One in every 7 new mothers suffer from postpartum depression in Kashmir, the story was published in The Kashmir Monitor on November 17, 2022.
It brings to light the plight of new mothers in the cloud of stigma impeding access to mental health in Kashmir.
“SCARF (1) proudly recognizes the outstanding efforts of Hirra Azmat for her engaging report on post-partum depression. Her article titled, “Hallucinations’, `crying spells’, `suicidal tendencies’: One in every 7 new mothers suffer from `postpartum depression’ in Kashmir”, published in Kashmir Monitor (November 17, 2022, brings to light the plight of new mothers in the cloud of stigma impeding access to mental health in Kashmir,” the citation presented to her reads.
Scarf, the Schizophrenia Research Foundation, a non-governmental organization works on mental health issues and recognizes media reportage on mental health with awards.
The organization received 52 entries, including news items, articles, and stories in English and Hindi. The media awards event was held online on December 12.
The jury included Jaya Shreedhar, senior health media advisor, Internews; R. Venkatesh, executive editor, Dinamalar Pattam; and Dr. Suresh Kumar.
It is Hirra’s third award in a row. In 2022, she received the prestigious ‘Project Siren Award’, dedicated to advocating for improved reporting practices on suicide. In the same year, she was honored with the Laadli Media Award for her gender-sensitive reporting.
.Hirra bagged Project Siren Award 2022 for her story headlined, “Life is beautiful’: IMHANS, SRO set up `Zindagi’ to prevent suicides, promote positive behavior in Kashmir”.
The story was published in The Kashmir Monitor on May 22, 2021. It was the first story that highlighted the depression-related suicides and new initiatives to promote positivity in strife-torn Kashmir
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