The winning entry for the first category of social media content on News and Politics, is a series of short but impactful videos that were posted on social media platforms, to raise awareness and expose war crimes and human rights abuses that happened in Ukraine soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Accurate information and reliable data about these atrocities are crucial in bringing accountability to the perpetrators of these crimes, as well as highlighting the plight of those who have been affected. Ifé Fatunase, Multimedia Director at Human Rights Watch, remarked, “Winning a Webby Award for our rapid response video coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine shows there’s a demand for reliable information, a demand to stop atrocities, and a demand for accountability.”
The second Webby Award won by Human Rights Watch was for the #StudentsNotProducts interactive campaign. The campaign focuses on research carried out by the organization that revealed children’s rights violations worldwide, due to governments authorizing online learning products during the COVID-19 pandemic without adequately protecting children’s privacy. The interactive campaign and video helps educate parents, teachers, and children on ways to protect children’s privacy rights and encourage the responsible use of educational technology tools.
The online event organizers, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, present two honors in each category. Almost 14,000 entries were submitted, and Human Rights Watch emerged victorious over some of the world’s best and biggest news organizations, including Reuters and CBS News.
Although the awards may seem solely focused on recognizing innovation and excellence in digital media forms, they attest to the power of digital media in increasing awareness, accountability, and demand for human rights. Today, the digital space plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, bringing accountability to perpetrators of abuse, and empowering human rights organizations to educate, advocate, and lobby. Human Rights Watch’s wins in the 2023 Webby Awards serve as a testament to the importance of innovation and digital media forms in enabling the organization to fight against prevalent violations of human rights across the world.
It is worth noting that the awards recognize the role that digital innovation can play in enacting positive social change, particularly in the manner in which digital platforms have the potential to be used to promote and safeguard human rights. In this vein, The #StudentsNotProducts campaign showed how innovative digital tools could be used to uncover and educate people about human rights violations and to prevent them from happening. Meanwhile, the social media videos that highlighted the Ukrainian conflict brought human rights abuses to global attention, highlighting the atrocities committed in the region and the need for the international community to act.
In conclusion, Human Rights Watch’s wins at the 2023 Webby Awards demonstrate the importance of digital innovation in the fight against human rights violations and how digital tools can help raise awareness, promote accountability, and foster change. As human rights organizations continue to innovate and develop creative digital solutions, the recognition of their work in domains such as the Webby Awards represent a crucial form of validation and motivation for these organizations to continue promoting human rights across the world.
<< photo by Vanessa Loring >>