The people’s ombudsman for children’s rights Maia Banarescu shares the concerns stated by the Press Council concerning the exploitation of child images for political goals. In a press release, the Office of the People’s Ombudsperson said Maia Banarescu reiterates the recommendation not to expose the child in order to obtain personal advantages, which was addressed earlier to political parties, public authorities, parents and legal representatives, IPN reports.

According to Maia Banarescu, the call is also addressed to the mass media, which are urged not to cover such subjects that involve children. The use of child images for other purposes than those that are for the benefit and in the interests of the child is immoral and condemnable. The context in which the images appeared affects the dignity of children, but the rights of every child should be respected in any situation.

The people’s ombudswoman also said that the respecting of the identity of the child and non-revealing of personal data when covering subjects featuring children are not less important. Maia Banarescu calls upon the journalists to refer to the Europeans legislation on data protection and reasserts the recommendation to respect the child’s right to opinion, to consult the child and to obtain his consent before the interview.

Also, the people’s ombudswoman calls on the representatives of parties, authorities and media outlets to correctly treat subjects concerning children’s rights, while the parents and legal representatives are requested to show maximum care and diligence in ensuring the observance of the rights and interests of the child.

Last weekend, 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. The Council noted that such acts of exploitation of child images for the purpose of political promotion are serious violations of the legislation that protects the rights of children.