Child Protection Office Issues Strict Advisory Against Disclosure of Minor Victims’ Identities
Kishtwar, August 21: The District Child Protection Officer, Mission Vatsalya, Kishtwar, has issued a strict public notice advising media organisations, journalists, social media administrators and the general public against publishing, broadcasting, sharing or circulating the identity or identifying details of minor victims of sexual offences and children in conflict with law or in need of care and protection.
The advisory has been issued in view of concerns over the circulation of photographs, videos, names, residential addresses, school details and other identifying particulars of minor children through print media, electronic news portals and social media platforms.
The notice stresses that such unauthorised disclosure can infringe upon a child’s right to privacy, dignity and safety, besides potentially aggravating psychological trauma.
The District Child Protection Officer has referred to Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which prohibits media reporting or presentation that reveals the identity of a child victim. The provision covers details including the child’s name, address, photograph, family background, neighbourhood, school and any other information that could lead to identification.
The advisory also cites Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which restricts disclosure of the name, address, school, photograph or other particulars that may identify a child in conflict with law or a child in need of care and protection involved in proceedings under the Act.
As per the advisory, violation of Section 23 of the POCSO Act may attract imprisonment for a term not less than six months and extendable up to one year, or fine, or both. Under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, violation may attract imprisonment up to six months, or a fine up to ₹2 lakh, or both.
The directions extend to information circulated through print media, electronic news portals and digital/social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube and local news channels.
The Child Protection Office has further advised that any individual, administrator or media outlet that has previously posted, shared or forwarded content capable of revealing a minor’s identity should immediately remove such material from all channels, pages and cloud storage.
The advisory has been addressed to media organisations, journalists, social media influencers, page administrators, messaging groups and members of the public operating within the jurisdiction of District Kishtwar.
Copies of the notice have also been forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate Kishtwar, SSP Kishtwar, Mission Vatsalya authorities, Chairperson Child Welfare Committee Kishtwar, Juvenile Justice Board and District Information Officer Kishtwar, among others.
The notice serves as a clear reminder that while cases involving minors may be reported in the public interest, the identity and identifying particulars of the child must remain protected in accordance with the applicable child-protection laws.
