Forget the gloves. Should Miss South Africa‚ Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters‚ have posted photographs of impoverished children on social media?
Nel-Peters found herself at the centre of controversy last week when she posted pictures of herself wearing gloves while serving food to children at the Ikageng Community Centre‚ sparking debate about whether she was doing it for hygiene reasons or if wearing gloves was "racially motivated".
Ikageng describes itself as a community based organisation that cares for orphaned and vulnerable children around the area of Soweto.
But it seems that a more compelling issue relating to ethics and child protection laws has been brought to the fore as celebrities and the public use Facebook‚ Instagram and Twitter to boast about their charity efforts at orphanages‚ schools and community centres.
Social media users often posts photographs of themselves handing over hampers or meals to children.
Monitoring Africa director William Bird said the general rule to apply was to ask if it was in the child's best interest to be photographed and shown in the media.
"For most children in vulnerable circumstances it is extremely unlikely to be in their best interest for their image and identity to be revealed. If they are in a place of safety or HIV orphans or survivors of abuse of any kind‚ showing or revealing their identity is in fact a criminal offence.
"In so far as using them to raise funds‚ that is frequently unethical - especially if depicting them as helpless. Of course in many cases it is possible to use images of children that do not reveal their identity or that depict them as victims‚" he said.
Centre for Child Law director Professor Ann Skelton said there was no general law to prevent children from being photographed even if they are "vulnerable".
"The children whose identities are protected by law include child offenders‚ child victims of crimes‚ including sexual offences‚ children who have gone through a children's court process (neglected‚ abused‚ in children's homes)‚ children in divorce and maintenance‚ children who are trafficked."
She said the law also depended on what was said about the children.
"If for example‚ the article or caption said‚ 'Celebrity with abused children from the Sunshine children's home'. It would be a problem. But 'Celebrity with children from Marabastad' - there is no law preventing that‚ and the press code does not prevent it either.
"So then it becomes more a matter of ethics than law. Is it ethically correct to publish pictures of children in such situations? That is difficult to judge in the abstract - but I would say great sensitivity is required‚ especially where parents have not been asked to consent‚" she said.
- TimesLIVE
Source: TMG Digital.
Posting pictures of children should be treated with kid gloves
Nel-Peters found herself at the centre of controversy last week when she posted pictures of herself wearing gloves while serving food to children at the Ikageng Community Centre‚ sparking debate about whether she was doing it for hygiene reasons or if wearing gloves was "racially motivated".
Ikageng describes itself as a community based organisation that cares for orphaned and vulnerable children around the area of Soweto.
But it seems that a more compelling issue relating to ethics and child protection laws has been brought to the fore as celebrities and the public use Facebook‚ Instagram and Twitter to boast about their charity efforts at orphanages‚ schools and community centres.
Social media users often posts photographs of themselves handing over hampers or meals to children.
Monitoring Africa director William Bird said the general rule to apply was to ask if it was in the child's best interest to be photographed and shown in the media.
"For most children in vulnerable circumstances it is extremely unlikely to be in their best interest for their image and identity to be revealed. If they are in a place of safety or HIV orphans or survivors of abuse of any kind‚ showing or revealing their identity is in fact a criminal offence.
"In so far as using them to raise funds‚ that is frequently unethical - especially if depicting them as helpless. Of course in many cases it is possible to use images of children that do not reveal their identity or that depict them as victims‚" he said.
Centre for Child Law director Professor Ann Skelton said there was no general law to prevent children from being photographed even if they are "vulnerable".
"The children whose identities are protected by law include child offenders‚ child victims of crimes‚ including sexual offences‚ children who have gone through a children's court process (neglected‚ abused‚ in children's homes)‚ children in divorce and maintenance‚ children who are trafficked."
She said the law also depended on what was said about the children.
"If for example‚ the article or caption said‚ 'Celebrity with abused children from the Sunshine children's home'. It would be a problem. But 'Celebrity with children from Marabastad' - there is no law preventing that‚ and the press code does not prevent it either.
"So then it becomes more a matter of ethics than law. Is it ethically correct to publish pictures of children in such situations? That is difficult to judge in the abstract - but I would say great sensitivity is required‚ especially where parents have not been asked to consent‚" she said.
- TimesLIVE
Source: TMG Digital.
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