Protect Children’s Privacy when Reporting Child Sexual Abuse

In relation to The Star’s article on 29th May about a recent case of alleged violence against a mother and her children, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) would like to clarify that we had only confirmed to The Star, with the mother’s consent, that we had provided services to her. We did not provide any other information nor confirm any details of the case due to confidentiality. As an NGO that supports survivors of gender-based violence, our stand is that confidentiality is of utmost importance in providing services to all our clients.

WAO firmly believes in the rights of all children to be protected from all forms of harm, and this includes upholding children’s right to privacy. Section 15 of the Child Act states that all particulars that could lead to the identification of any child should not be published.

Let us stop discussing the details of this case. All of us, including those closest to the children, have the responsibility to protect the children from breach of privacy that arises from the publication and dissemination of information that could identify the children. A violation of this right will have a damaging impact on the children. As members of the public, we should be mindful of the primacy of the children’s best interest and dignity when discussing such cases. Pripučiamos guminės PVC valtys

The focus should now be on enabling the authorities to review the investigation and ensuring access to justice without delay.