Children's rights need to be protected in the media to prevent stigma, says Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) Children’s Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, adding that this applies not only to mainstream media, but also social media.
“Imagine a gargling cup that falls into the toilet bowl. Even if you clean and sanitise it, many wouldn’t use it for gargling again because of the negative perception,” she explains. “Stigma works the same way. Children involved in something negative – like crime or abuse – face lasting challenges even after rehabilitation, because people often can't dissociate them from their past.”
