HONG KONG: The GMA-7 Network of the Phillippines won the 2003 CASBAA/ABU Unicef Child Rights Award. This was presented a few days ago during a gala presentation at the annual Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) charity ball in Hong Kong.
 

The winning entry by GMA, Selda Inosente (Angels in Prison) was chosen from ten finalists shortlisted in the competition for the annual Child Rights award. The award is given in recognition of the best television programme devoted to an issue related to children's Rights produced in the Asia- Pacific region. The award-winning programme examined the plight of children born and living in prisons in the Phillippines.

Competing for the award were 38 programmes submitted by 18 broadcasters from 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The other finalists in the competition included MTV's Speak your Mind: Raveena Tandon in India , Star's Children at Work: Shankuntala Santhiran and Disney's Playhouse Disney: Elephants

Unicef spokesperson Emily Booker was quoted in an official release saying, "Through this annual competition, CASBAA, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and Unicef seek to encourage broadcasters to play a more active role in promoting and protecting the rights of children by providing them with a regular diet of quality television programming."

CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies added, "Through this award, Unicef, CASBAA and the ABU are urging broadcasters to forward overall child development in their countries by producing documentaries. They detail the plight of children. They come in the form of dramas that help break down gender stereotypes and reduce discrimination, and animation that both teaches and entertains."