MISA Namibia has appealed to Namibian citizens to refrain from sharing images that depict children and others in unhealthy, painful, unlawful and inappropriate situations.
The media advocacy group pointed to two images which it says were being shared on WhatsApp, and maybe other social media platforms, that depict the two girls reported on in today’s media, in very sickening situations.
“Even though we do not now know who they are, they are human beings who have the right to dignity and privacy. It can only lead to more pain if these girls and their families are confronted with these images”, MISA Namibia National Director Natasha Tibinyane said.
“It is a criminal act to share, or send messages with photos and videos of children being sexually abused and exploited. Instead of sharing these images, assist the authorities to identify and find them, so that they may find healing from the horrors they have endured”, she added.
MISA Namibia has questioned where the public gained access to the images because, as reported in the media, local police were alerted by Interpol. The organisation called on Nampol to investigate the origin of these images on WhatsApp, and to hold those who shared it accountable.
“Unlike many other world citizens, Namibians enjoy a high level of freedom of expression, but that does not give us the right to violate the rights of others. Your Rights End Where Another’s Begin. We must uphold our responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of others, especially those of our most vulnerable citizens, children”, Tibinyane said.
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MISA is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC countries. Officially launched in September 1992, MISA focuses primarily on the need to promote free, independent and pluralistic media, as envisaged in the 1991 Windhoek Declaration. MISA seeks ways in which to promote the free flow of information and cooperation between media workers, as a principal means of nurturing democracy and human rights in Africa.
Enquiries:
National Director
MISA Namibia
Tel: + 264 61 232975
Email: natasha@misa.org
MISA Regional Secretariat
Tel: + 264 61 232975
Email: info@misa.org
