Times Colonist reporter Katie DeRosa has won an Amnesty International Canada media award for her series on Canada’s human smuggling reforms.
DeRosa’s week-long series of articles, photos and online video documentaries examined the human consequences of Australia’s mandatory detention policy in light of similar measures introduced by the Harper government under Bill C-31. The tough refugee reforms were ushered in following the arrival of two ships of Tamil migrants in October 2009 and August 2010 off the B.C. coast.
DeRosa travelled to Australia’s Christmas Island to examine the isolated detention facility where asylum seekers are held indefinitely, often resulting in psychological trauma and suicide. She also explored the desperate situation for Tamil refugees in Thailand, who face arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, while they await resettlement to a safe country.
“The isolation and desperation of refugees in Australia and Thailand is vividly presented in these articles by Katie DeRosa,” said Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada. “The reality of refugees’ lives informs the discussion of the issues. And DeRosa highlights the failures of mandatory detention, a policy that violates the rights of refugees who are already trying to escape persecution and is being used as a way to discourage human smuggling.”
“The award is a tribute to Katie DeRosa’s dedication to journalism and human rights, said Times Colonist editor-in-chief Dave Obee. “She shone a light on human smuggling, helping to give us a better understanding of the people who have landed on our shores, and the many factors that would drive people to risk their lives to get to a new country.
“Katie’s work is a reminder that the Times Colonist is highly regarded among its peers. We are committed to serving the community, and that fact has been recognized many times,” Obee said.
“With people such as Katie hard at work, Canadian journalism has a bright future.”
Published in November 2012, the series was also a runner up for the 2012 Canadian Hillman Prize, which recognizes investigative journalism for the common good.
DeRosa's series was funded by the $25,000 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship. The stories won the Amnesty International award in the local/alternative print category.
Toronto Star’s Jennifer Quinn won in the national print category for her feature on discrimination of gays and lesbians in Jamaica.
Carol Off and David McDougall of CBC Radio One program As It Happens won in the audio/video category for their documentary on the conflict in Syria.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Toronto early next year.
DeRosa has been with the Times Colonist since 2008.
You can read the series at www.timescolonist.com/human-smuggling.
