KUALA LUMPUR: The media should adhere to the Child Act 2001 [Act 611] while reporting on cases involving children, says Children’s Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki.
Expressing concern over recent media coverage of a 12-year-old boy who drove a car and a 14-year-old girl who posed as a doctor, she said both children were portrayed “in a distressing manner despite not being fully accountable for their actions”.
“The boy's offence resulted from parental negligence, and the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) confirmed that the girl had previously received psychiatric treatment but did not continue with follow-up care,” she said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 13).
Dr Farah added that Section 15(2) of the Child Act 2001 explicitly prohibits the media from reporting or publishing images of children involved in legal conflicts, those under protection and rehabilitation or those beyond control at any stage of their case.
She added that violating this section is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to ten thousand ringgit, imprisonment for up to five years, or both, under Section 15(3) of the Act.
Dr Farah then said that Malaysia has been a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1995,and therefore is committed to ensuring that no child is subjected to degrading treatment.
She added that this protection covers the child even if they are in a conflict with the law, and said that this is outlined in Article 37 of the Convention.
“The Commission acknowledges that the police took measures to protect the identities of the two children; however, the media's reporting and publication are beyond the police’s control,” she said.
“The persistent media violations without reprimand are a serious concern. Therefore, the CC calls for strict enforcement of Section 15 of the Act to prevent such incidents from recurring,” added Dr Farah.
Dr Farah said she is prepared to collaborate with the Malaysian Press Institute to provide training for the media on legal literacy concerning children's rights.
On Aug 9,Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) (Legal and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said reminded the public to not publish any pictures of children involved in criminal proceedings in the media.
“With the recent cases of children involved in criminal proceedings, I would like to remind the public of subsection 15(2) of the Child Act 2001 that prohibits the publishing of any pictures of a child who is involved in criminal proceedings in the media,” she said in a post on her X account.
Azalina also said that any violation of this provision could result in criminal charges.
We should place our trust in the law and its due processes when dealing with cases involving children,” she added.
