Independent journalist Safina Nabi on Saturday won the prestigious Fetisov Journalism Award for her article published on Scroll about how countless women in Kashmir, whose husbands disappeared and could never be traced, have been cut out of inheritances and left to fend for themselves.

She won the second prize in the “Outstanding Contribution to Peace” category. The story, titled “How Kashmir’s half-widows are denied their basic property rights”, was published under Scroll’s Common Ground project.

Women whose husbands have disappeared but not yet been declared dead are referred to as “half-widows” by the Kashmiri media.

“In her story, the author describes the everyday lives, dramas and never-ending hopes of more than 1,500 women, many of whom are denied official help and governmental support because of the unclear status of their men,” a press release from the Fetisov Journalism Awards said.

The statement added that Nabi’s reporting shows a “comprehensive and impressively detailed picture” of the issue.

“It highlights what is not known, it shows the human consequences of neglect, and most emphatically gives voice to the people totally disregarded by their own authorities and whose ordeal is largely invisible to international audiences,” it said.

There are four categories in total. Three winners in each category share a cash prize of 130,000 Swiss francs (Rs 11,94,371).

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