What about the Child? Preventing the Publication of Children's Names After the Age of 18

Authors

  • Sophy Baird University of Pretoria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2021/v24i0a9571

Keywords:

Children's rights, child justice, best interests of the child, protection of identity, freedom of expressio, open justice

Abstract

Children are afforded a number ofdifferent protections when they encounter the criminal justice system. The need for special protection stems from the vulnerable position theyoccupy in society. When children form part of the criminal justice system by being an offender, a victimor a witnessthey may be subjected to harm. To mitigate against the potential harm that may be caused, our law provides that criminal proceedings involving children should not be open to the public, subject to the discretion of the court. This protection naturally seems at odds with the principle of open justice. However, the courts have reconciled the limitation with the legal purpose it serves. For all the protection the law offers and the lengths that it goes to in order to protect the identity of children in this regard,itappears there is an unofficial timer dictating when this protection should end. The media have been at the forefront of this conundrum to the extent that they believe that once a child (an offender, victim, or witness) turns 18 they are free to reveal the child's identity. This belief, grounded in the right to freedom of expression and the principle of open justice, is at odds with the principle of a child's best interests, the right to dignity and the right to privacy. It also stares incredulously in the face of the aims of the Child Justice Actand the principles of restorative justice. In the context ofthe detrimental psychological effects experienced by child victims, witnesses, and offenders, this article aims to critically analyse the legal and practical implications of revealing the identity of child victims, witnesses, and offenders after they have turned18.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bibliography

Literature

Batley M "Restorative Justice: An Essential Foundation for Advancing the Utilisation of Non-custodial Sentences" (unpublished paper)

Boezaart T Law of Persons 6th ed (Juta Cape Town 2016)

Burchell J and Milton J Principles of Criminal Law 4th ed (Juta Cape Town 2014)

Carstens P "Access to Medical Records without Consent of Patient and the Publication thereof in the Public Domain: Issues of Privacy, Dignity, Freedom of Expression and Public Interest. Tshabalala-Msimang and Medi-Clinic Ltd v Makhanya (2008) 3 BCLR 338 (W)" 2008 Obiter 291-301

Feld BC Bad Kids: Race and the Transformation of the Juvenile Court (Oxford University Press Oxford 1999)

Gallinetti J "What Happened to the Child Justice Bill? The Process of Law Reform Relating to Child Offenders" 2006 SACQ 7-12

Jones LM, Finkelhor D and Beckwith J "Protecting Victims' Identities in Press Coverage of Child Victimization" 2010 Journalism 347-367

Muthaphuli P and Terblanche S "A Penological Perspective on Rehabilitation as a Sentencing Aim" 2017 Acta Criminologica 16-32

O'Regan K "Checks and Balances Reflections on the Development of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers Under the South African Constitution" 2005 PELJ 120-150

Skelton A and Batley M "Restorative Justice: A Contemporary South African Review" 2008 Acta Criminologica 37-51

Sloth-Nielsen J "The Role of International Human Rights Law in the Development of South Africa's Legislation on Juvenile Justice" 2001 LDD 59-83

Sloth-Nielsen J and Gallinetti J "Just Say Sorry? Ubuntu, Africanisation and the Child Justice System in the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008" 2011 PELJ 63-90

Snyman CR Criminal Law 6th ed (LexisNexis Durban 2014)

Case law

South Africa

Centre for Child Law v Media 24 Limited (Part A and B) 2017 2 SACR 416 (GP)

Centre for Child Law v Media 24 Limited 2018 JOL 40507 (SCA)

Centre for Child Law v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development 2009 2 SACR 477 (CC)

Dikoko v Mokhatla 2006 6 SA 235 (CC)

Financial Mail (Pty) Limited v Sage Holdings Limited 1993 2 SA 451 (A)

J v National Director of Public Prosecutions 2014 2 SACR 1 (CC)

Johncom Media Investments Limited v M 2009 4 SA 7 (CC)

Media 24 Holdings (Pty) Ltd v The Chairman of the Appeals Board of the Council of South Africa (unreported) case number 19001/2014 of 28 August 2014

Media 24 v National Prosecuting Authority: In re S v Mahlangu 2011 2 SACR 321 (GNP)

Multichoice (Pty) Ltd v National Prosecuting Authority, in re: S v Pistorius, In re Media 24 Ltd v Director of Public Prosecutions North Gauteng 2014 1 SACR 589 (GP)

National Media Ltd v Bogoshi 1998 4 SA 1196 (SCA)

NM v Smith 2007 5 SA 250 (CC)

S v CKM 2013 2 SACR 303 (GNP)

S v Dodo 2001 3 SA 382 (CC)

S v Draai 2014 JDR 2485 (FB)

S v M (Centre for Child Law as Amicus Curiae) 2008 3 SA 232 (CC)

S v Mahlangu 2012 ZAGPJHC 114 (22 May 2012)

S v Saayman 2008 1 SACR 393 (E)

S v Steyn 1986 ZASCA 75 (30 May 1986)

United Kingdom

Lion Laboratories Ltd v Evans 1984 2 All ER 417 (CA)

Legislation

South Africa

Child Justice Act 75 of 2008

Children's Act 38 of 2005

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977

Probation Services Act 116 of 1991 (as amended by Probation Services Amendment Act 35 of 2002

International instruments

United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Restorative Justice Programmes in Criminal Matters (2002)

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

Government publications

Child Justice Bill [B49B-2002]

Internet sources

Centre for Child Law 2015 CCL Requests the Protection of the Identity of the Child Identified as Zephany Nurse http://www.centreforchildlaw.co.za/ images/files/Press%20Release/2015.03.03_CCL%20requests%20the%20protection%20of%20the%20identity%20of%20the%20child%20identified%20as%20Zephany%20Nurse.pdf accessed 13 September 2016

CCL 2018 https://www.up.ac.za/news/post_2724762-statement-by-ups-centre-for-child-law-on-judgment-protecting-the-identifies-of-child-victims-witnesses-and-offenders-

Centre for Child Law 2018 Statement by UP’s Centre for Child Law on Judgment Protecting the Identifies of Child Victims, Witnesses and Offenders https://www.up.ac.za/news/post_2724762-statement-by-ups-centre-for-child-law-on-judgment-protecting-the-identifies-of-child-victims-witnesses-and-offenders- accessed 23 July 2021

Constitutional Court 2019 https://collections.concourt.org.za/handle/

500.12144/1947

Constitutional Court of South Africa 2019 Cases Awaiting Judgment https://collections.concourt.org.za/handle/20.500.12144/1947 accessed 19 July 2019

Dixon R 2015 South African Teen Stolen as Infant Found Befriending Sister https://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-south-africa-missing-child-20150306-story.html accessed 19 July 2021

Google 2017 https://www.google.co.za/search?q=zephany+nurse&oq=

zephany+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4940j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Google 2017 Search: Zephany Nurse https://www.google.co.za/search?

q=zephany+nurse&oq=zephany+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4940j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 accessed 19 December 2017

Media Monitoring Africa 2018 Home Page https://mediamonitoring

africa.org/ accessed 17 January 2018

PCSA Date Unknown http://www.presscouncil.org.za/ContentPage?code=

CONSTITUTION

PCSA 2012 http://www.presscouncil.org.za/Reports/View/press-freedom-commissions-report-5

Press Council of South Africa 2012 Press Freedom Commission's Report http://www.presscouncil.org.za/Reports/View/press-freedom-commissions-report-5 accessed 30 March 2018

Press Council of South Africa and Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa Date Unknown The Press Code of Ethics and Conduct for South African Print and Online Media https://presscouncil.org.za/Content

Page?code=PRESSCODE accessed 20 July 2021

SA History 2019 Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/afrikaner-weerstandsbeweging-awb accessed 7 April 2018

Published

15-09-2021 — Updated on 22-09-2021

Versions

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Baird, S. (2021). What about the Child? Preventing the Publication of Children’s Names After the Age of 18. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 24, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2021/v24i0a9571 (Original work published 2021)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 1160

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.