2024-12-03
BRUSSELS – Grantees Gabriela Ramírez and Tina Xu, who worked on Journalismfund Europe's granted project The Border Graves, received an award from the European Union's flagship journalism award.
The two outstanding journalists were awarded the Feature Journalism Award "with their compelling article highlighting the personal stories of families affected by strict immigration policies and border controls in Europe, emphasising the emotional impact of loss and separation. They call attention to the urgent need for humane immigration policies that respect human rights and dignity."
The winning article was entitled "Widowed by Europe’s borders."
The Border Graves project was focused on unidentified migrants buried in cemeteries in olive groves, on hilltops, in dense forests, and along remote highways. Each unmarked grave represents a person who lost their lives en route to Europe, and a fate that will remain forever unknown to their loved ones.
An extract of her speech shows that "As both a journalist and a migrant, I am often asked one question: Why? Why do people risk everything to cross rivers, forests, and jungles—pregnant women, parents with young children—knowing the dangers that await? Why do they come, knowing there’s a chance they may never make it, or that they will be met not with compassion but with walls, barbed wire fences and pushbacks, and yes, sometimes death?"
The EU flagship award was to commemorate the former Vice-President of the European Commission, Lorenzo Natali. He strongly promoted and furthered European development policies.
To read more about her speech, visit her LinkedIn post here.
