Production and competition

At the beginning of 2020, 25 Mauritanian journalists met in the field in several regions of Mauritania (Assaba, Gorgol, Brakna, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Tagant and Trarza) to put into practice the skills they had acquired during training organised in Kaédi and Kiffa between November 2019 and January 2020: looking into a subject of their choice with a Human Rights connection, starting from specific cases, arguing on the basis of reliable data and verified sources, providing information on analyses and the actions of the State and civil society organisations and listening to the voices of inhabitants and local players. During the process of reflection, research and production, the journalists were assisted by a team of trainers from the project.

The problems most frequently addressed by the journalists included women’s rights, child labour, the early marriage of young girls, the ownership of land and slavery and its consequences. Most of the subjects were covered in Arabic, then French, with Soninke coming third and Pulaar fourth; these four languages are used as national languages for production, but only on the radio.

The "RightsInfo" awards for the best productions

The aim of the "RightsInfo 2020" competition, which was announced after the project had started, was to reward the best productions relating to human rights issues in the following categories: "radio", "video", and "written press and online press".
A jury consisting of several members representing GIZ, CFI and Mauritanian partners in the project selected three winners (below). An awards ceremony was organised in a virtual group – owing to the COVID-19 pandemic – with all of the participants in the project on 30 June 2020, marking the end of the project.

In the "Written press / Online press" category:
Name: Seybane Sidi Diagana
Subjet: Women’s access to the ownership of land
Publication language: French
Medium: Le Reflet.net

In the "Video" category
Name Cheikh Ahmedou Tolba
Subjet: The women of Amersal
Publication language: Arabic
Medium: Chinguitty TV

In the "Radio" category
Name: El Hadi Mohamed Lemine
Subjet: My parents have rejected my husband
Publication language: Arabic
Medium: Radio Kiffa (Radio Mauritanie)

A second incentive award was given, in the "written press and online press" category, to Mr Abdel Aziz Ould Ghoulam for his publication in Arabic entitled Child marriage: a future stuck between the rock of tradition and the hard place of necessity, published on Elbecham.info, in the "video" category, to Mr Mohamed Diop for his item on the Campaign against violence towards women (publication in French, broadcast on VOA Africa) and, in the "radio" category, to Mr Ahmed Salem Ould Mohamed Lemine for his report in Arabic entitled "Child labour in Brakna: future dreams up in smoke" broadcast on Radio Aleg / Radio Mauritanie.

Training, journalist support and the competition were organized as part of the Promoting Human Rights and Human Rights Dialogue (Promotion des Droits Humains et Dialogue sur les Droits Humains, PDDH) support programme implemented by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Mauritania.