Three Rohingya refugees, Fortify Rights, and Doha Debates win Shorty Award
(BANGKOK, November 24, 2020)—Fortify Rights, Doha Debates, and three Rohingya refugee photographers in Bangladesh won a
prestigious Shorty Award for promoting photography in the world’s largest refugee camp, said Fortify Rights today. The group received the top
honor in the category of “Best Work for Immigration and Refugees” during the 5th Annual Shorty Social Good Awards.
The group was also a finalist in the category of “Storytelling.”
“Many people define the Rohingya by genocide and the crimes they suffer, but the community is much more than that,” said Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith. “This project celebrates Rohingya life, and today we celebrate the media fellows, who deserve all the recognition for
their beautiful work.”
Since 2018, Fortify Rights, in partnership with Doha Debates, provided on-the-ground photography and media
skills-training for three young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who are survivors of genocide in Myanmar. The
organizations equipped the three “media fellows”—Dil Kayas, Omal Khair, and Azimul Hasson—with mobile phones. They have since been documenting their lives in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps on Instagram, amassing
thousands of followers.
“Thank you, Shorty Awards, for giving us this award,” said Dil Kayas in her pre-recorded acceptance speech, which was
shown at the invitation-only award ceremony. “Now we can share our daily lives in the refugee camps. We can share this
with the world.”
The Shorty Social Good Awards is an awards program created “to raise global awareness around the positive impact that brands, agencies, and
nonprofits can have on society.” Winners are selected based on the creativity, originality, effectiveness, and impact of
their projects as judged by a diverse group of luminaries in the internet, advertising, media, and entertainment
industries.
The Shorty Award for “Best Work for Immigration and Refugees” honors a program, project, or initiative working for
immigrants and refugees’ social and economic justice. Eligible applicants include programs and organizations that offer
tools for protection, survival, recovery, transition, education, legal services, and more.
Fortify Rights aims to expand the media fellows project to other communities of refugees.
In his pre-recorded acceptance speech, Azimul Hasson said: “Thank you so much, Shorty Awards, for this award. This
project is important to us as well as our community. We can now show what life in a refugee camp is like. We are very
grateful to receive this award. It’s encouraging for us. We will keep doing our work.”
The media fellows are on Instagram at @dilkayas, @omalkha, and @azimulhass and Fortify Rights and Doha Debates are at @FortifyRights and @DohaDebates.
"I want to take a moment to extend my sincere thanks for the award you have presented us," said Omal Khair in her
acceptance speech. "Receiving this Shorty Award is a great honor for all of us . . . This award gives us more confidence
in our work. Thank you so much."