The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has a standard guideline for the media on how to report on children's issues, especially in a sensitive situation. The first point of the guideline says, "Do not further stigmatise any child; avoid categorisations or descriptions that expose a child to negative reprisals, including additional physical or psychological harm, or to lifelong abuse, discrimination or rejection by their local communities." The well-drafted guideline also directs journalists not to name the child or publish and telecast their visual identity. But unfortunately, in this age of clickbait journalism, some journalists fail to adhere to the minimum standard of child-related coverage.

Not only in the international guidelines, the Children Act, 2013 in Bangladesh also makes it a punishable criminal offence to publish in any print or electronic media any information that directly or indirectly identifies a child involved in a trial. Despite such a law, it seems nobody remembers to protect the rights of a child during a crisis.

The latest example of that is the coverage of a sixth-grader, who went missing from Dhaka a few days ago, on TV and social media platforms. It is a matter of relief that the child was found safe in Naogaon. Her missing news was circulated and posted on mainstream and social media platforms widely. But after police rescued the girl, the situation turned problematic. Both the law enforcement officials and journalists failed miserably to protect the child's best interest. The child was seen being interrogated by police personnel in the midst of a crowd. It was a clear violation of a child's right to privacy by every standard. On top of that, law enforcers did nothing to protect the girl from the media and online broadcasters. Journalists did not show any respect to the privacy and rights of the girl either.

Read more

Non-toxic toys are essential for protecting our children

Meanwhile, tagging and bullying of the child are still happening on social media platforms. Lack of media literacy and internet etiquette have made the cyberspace in Bangladesh dangerous for everyone, but particularly for children and women. According to the Police Cyber Support Centre for Women (PCSW) run by the Police Headquarters, more than 9,000 complaints of cyber-harassment were lodged in 2024. A report by Prothom Alo on January 29 says that online harassment, including hateful comments and distorted videos, have taken a toll on the mental health of women, leaving many demoralised and depressed.

The global situation is not much better either. A Pew Research Center survey found that 59 percent of teenagers in the US have personally experienced at least one of six types of abusive online behaviours. The most common type of harassment the youth in the US encounter online is name-calling. It is high time such research was conducted in Bangladesh.

Read more

Why Bangladesh needs a child affairs reform commission

But for the time being, the most important work is saving our children. Both the law enforcers and friends and family can play a vital role in this regard, but everyone else in society has a major responsibility, too. Journalists must follow the national and international standards of media coverage about children. And last but not the least, I humbly request the netizens to please treat our children with love and care.

Rahat Minhaz is assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Jagannath University. He can be reached at minhaz_uddin_du@yahoo.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries, and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.