Six principles

1. Respect the dignity and rights of every child in every circumstance.
2. In interviewing (and reporting on) children, pay special attention to each child’s right to privacy and confidentiality, to have their opinions heard, to participate in decisions affecting them and to be protected from harm and retribution.
3. Protect the best interests of each child over any other consideration, including advocacy for children’s issues and the promotion of child rights.
4. When trying to determine the best interests of a child, give due weight to the child’s right to have their views taken into account in accordance with their age and maturity.
5. Consult those closest to the child’s situation and best able to assess it about the political, social and cultural ramifications of any reportage.
6. Do not publish a story or an image that might put the child, their siblings or peers at risk, even when their identities are changed, obscured or not used.

Seven guidelines for reporting on children

1. Do not further stigmatize any child; avoid categorizations 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.
2. Always provide an accurate context for the child’s story or image.
3. Always change the name and obscure the visual identity of any child who is identified as:
   – a victim of sexual abuse or exploitation
   – a perpetrator of physical or sexual abuse
   – HIV positive, or living with AIDS, unless the child, a parent or a guardian gives fully informed consent
   – charged or convicted of a crime.
4. In certain circumstances of risk or potential risk of harm or retribution, change the name and obscure the visual identity of any child who is identified as:
   – a current or former child combatant
   – an asylum seeker, a refugee or an internally displaced person.
5. In certain cases, using a child’s identity (their name and/or recognizable image) is in the child’s best interests. However, when the child’s identity is used, they must still be protected against harm and supported in the event of any stigmatization or reprisals. For example:
   – when a child initiates contact with a reporter, wanting to exercise their right to freedom of expression and their right to have their opinion heard
   – when a child is part of a sustained programme of activism or social mobilization and wants to be identified as such
   – when a child is engaged in a psychosocial programme and claiming their name and identity is part of their healthy development.
6. Confirm the accuracy of what the child has to say, either with other children or an adult, preferably with both.
7. When in doubt about whether a child is at risk, report on the general situation for children rather than on an individual child, no matter how newsworthy the story.

For more information, see ‚The Media and Children’s Rights‚ website.