Prize for Indian journalist
Gunjan Sharma received the German Media Prize for Development Policy for her report on psychiatric clinics in India.
The 2013 German Media Prize for Development Policy, awarded for outstanding works on human rights and development, went to seven journalists from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Near/Middle East, Eastern Europe/Central Asia and Germany. Gunjan Sharma, from India, received the prize for Asia. For nine years she has been reporting on health issues, and has uncovered violations against the rights of patients and people with disabilities. Her competition entry, “Damned lives and statistics”, exposes the appalling conditions in psychiatric clinics in India, and reveals how patients there are denied fundamental human rights. Sharma’s work has made an impact and prompted the government to adapt its policy.
