Don’t children have the right to privacy?

June 14, 2024

DHAKA – At the registration desk of a private hospital in Dhaka, an employee loudly asked for personal information, including phone number, address, etc., of everyone who came to take service there. At that moment, it occurred to me that many people do not understand the importance of privacy protection in our society. This becomes more evident when we observe attitudes of adults towards children.

Children have the right to privacy. According to the article 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, “No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation.” Unfortunately, awareness about this is very low in Bangladesh.

Nowadays, people of all ages use the internet for education, work, communication, and entertainment. Social media has also become a part of many people’s lives. This has positive aspects, but child protection and privacy are at risk.

Children can be harmed in many ways in the online world. One of these is the production, distribution, and use of images and videos of child sexual abuse. Online “grooming” is another serious issue, where abusers harm children after gaining their trust. Apart from this, children get information on various negative topics including militancy, drugs, and suicide through the internet.

Besides, many parents post on social media about their children’s likes and dislikes, achievements and problems in academic and other domains, almost regularly. Disclosure of children’s personal information including location, name, date of birth, and school name puts them at risk. Anyone with malicious intentions can misuse this