Iraqi journalist wins award for best investigation

Iraqi journalist and member of Network of Iraqi Reporters of Investigative Journalism (NIRIJ) wins award for best investigative report in 2011

Reporter Dlovan Barwari member of the Network for Iraqi reporters for Investigative Journalism (NIRIJ) was awarded the International Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalism in Belgium on 8 December for his investigation about female genital mutilation in Kurdistan.

The investigation, which was done in collaboration with the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), uncovers this brutal practice of girls as young as five in Kurdistan. In his article, Dlovan Barwari shows how the practice carried out in secret ceremonies,  impacts young women’s health, as well as their social and psychological wellbeing. He explores the reasons for the persistence of the practice, highlighting the failure of organisations and societal groups to protect this vulnerable group.

Due to the issue’s controversial nature and its societal context, the topic had remained alarmingly unaddressed in the region. As a result of Barwari’s investigation, however, the parliament was forced to adopt legislation criminalising genital mutilation.

Read the full investigation here.

Investigative journalism is a new, but growing genre of journalism in Iraq. 12 Arab countries participated in the competition in Brussels, which ran parallel to the IMS-supported ARIJ Annual Conference in Amman. More about the ARIJ conferencehere.