OSCE Mission and UNICEF issue statement on Serbian media coverage of child abuse
(Milan Obradovic)OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro sponsored playgrounds for Serbian and Albanian children in southern Serbia, 30 January 2003. (Milan Obradovic) Photo details
BELGRADE, 16 November 2004 - The OSCE Mission and UNICEF Office to Serbia and Montenegro issued the following statement on Tuesday:
"The respect of human dignity, especially that of children, in print and electronic media is among the most important goals of both national societies and the international community at large. Legislative measures adopted at the Republican level and international recommendations are aimed at establishing and securing the right relationship between the principles of protection of children and free speech. The right to free speech should not infringe on the rights of children, especially when they have been victims of a crime. The laws thus respond not only to the challenges that media inevitably face, but also build upon recognised basic professional and ethical standards.
The OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro and UNICEF Office for Serbia and Montenegro call on print and electronic media to address issues involving children with adequate scrutiny and care, considering their vulnerability and the harm that misjudgement by the media may cause. On the eve of celebrating 15 years of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the responsibility to protect children and adolescents from harmful effects of the media should be considered a widely shared value and priority.
The OSCE Mission and UNICEF Office to Serbia and Montenegro are confident that a comprehensive debate on an appropriate framework for confronting similar cases in future will be initiated. The OSCE Mission and UNICEF Office hence express their willingness to provide legal and all other available expertise to public and regulatory authorities, as well as to print and electronic media outlets themselves."
"The respect of human dignity, especially that of children, in print and electronic media is among the most important goals of both national societies and the international community at large. Legislative measures adopted at the Republican level and international recommendations are aimed at establishing and securing the right relationship between the principles of protection of children and free speech. The right to free speech should not infringe on the rights of children, especially when they have been victims of a crime. The laws thus respond not only to the challenges that media inevitably face, but also build upon recognised basic professional and ethical standards.
The OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro and UNICEF Office for Serbia and Montenegro call on print and electronic media to address issues involving children with adequate scrutiny and care, considering their vulnerability and the harm that misjudgement by the media may cause. On the eve of celebrating 15 years of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the responsibility to protect children and adolescents from harmful effects of the media should be considered a widely shared value and priority.
The OSCE Mission and UNICEF Office to Serbia and Montenegro are confident that a comprehensive debate on an appropriate framework for confronting similar cases in future will be initiated. The OSCE Mission and UNICEF Office hence express their willingness to provide legal and all other available expertise to public and regulatory authorities, as well as to print and electronic media outlets themselves."