The Press Council of the Republic of Moldova sent an open letter to the people’s ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Banarescu whereby they warn that some of the politicians before the Easter holidays posted photos of them distributing presents to families in need on social networking sites or in the press. According to the Council, some of the texts accompanying the photos speak about the poverty and vulnerability of those who get presents. In other cases, this is evident from the images, IPN reports.

The Press Council said that this way the public is shown children who live in precarious conditions and details about the life of the family and parents are revealed. Such acts of exploitation of children’s images for the purpose of political promotion are serious violations of the legislation that protects the rights of children. The Press Council warns that any public exposure is allowed only if it does not damage the superior interest of the child.

The Council member said the revealing of the identity and intentional presentation in a context that would generate mercy and compassion in these cases can affect the superior interest of the child, namely his development in a friendly and safe environment. “These children become vulnerable to discrimination and stigmatization. The exploitation of the child’s image in political promotion campaigns is a defiance of the common sense rules and should be stopped. Displaying their own welfare, the politicians profit from the vulnerability of families,” it is said in the open letter.

The Press Council condemns such promotion acts and calls on the people’s ombudswoman, who was empowered to protect the children’s rights, to take attitude. At the same time, the Council calls on the media outlets not to publish photos showing politicians giving presents to children in difficulty or to protect the identity of the beneficiaries both by processing the photos and by editing the texts.