Women and child victims of abuse continue to suffer rights violations by the media despite existing legal protections, a seminar was told yesterday.
Saroj Nakbet, director of the Office of Affairs and Projects under Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha's Initiative, said violations of children's and women's rights continue even if the country has two laws and a strategic framework designed to address the issue.
According to Mr Saroj, media coverage about women and child victims of abuse are regulated by the 2003 Child Protection Act and the 2007 Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence Act.
Authorities have also developed clear and practical guidelines to protect women and children in the criminal justice process to ensure compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The guidelines have been adopted since 2014.
Despite these legal protections, media outlets, and in certain cases agencies handling the cases, continue to violate these guidelines, forcing some victims to change schools or relocate, he added.
Mr Saroj was among the participants of a seminar organised by the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) on the role of media in preventing violence against women and children.
Apirak Harnpichitwanich, adviser to the Public Relations Department, said violations are common as some media treat victims of violent crimes as "sources".
"Reporters who cover women and children were educated about these laws, but it makes no difference if their editors take the issue for granted," he told the seminar.
"The industry is highly competitive when online platforms enter the equation. We have to admit the media are not doing enough to protect the victims' rights," he told the seminar.
Chavarong Limpattamapanee, chairman of the National Press Council of Thailand, said some organisation lack awareness of the issue, often taking victims to press conferences or to television stations to tell their accounts.
He said some media outlets claiming they are duty bound to "reflect" social issues, but they risk defying the laws and press ethics.
"Every stakeholder has to protect the rights of the victims so they will not have to be put through abuse over and over again," he said.
