Nhau Mhangirazi filed his complaint with the MCC over an article published by The Herald on 26th September 2016 headlined, ‘Girl, 13, beds 13 sugar daddies’.
The complainant was concerned that:
- The naming of three suspects who bedded the minor exposed the minor as well as a contravention of children’s rights and an abdication of the media’s duty to uphold, defend and respect the rights of children
- The minor who, contracted HIV, was further humiliated in society through publicisation of her HIV status through publication of the story.
- The story therefore failed to protect the minor who was sexually abused
- While court facts cannot be verified outside court proceedings, it was false that the father is a boozer as reported in the story as he is a member of the apostolic sect
- All three suspects mentioned in the article are well known in the small town and it further affects their immediate family members including school-going children
- The story should have avoided using the suspect’s real names but used different initials to protect their families, the minor and others affected by the report
- Descriptions of areas like Tambawadya Primary school could have been avoided by mentioning other local primary schools nearby as there are three primary schools in the vicinity thereby further protecting the minor
Status: Pending
The Herald has not responded to communication from the MCC
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