Media focusing on tycoons, ignoring child rights: Supreme court

The media should focus on child rights instead of showering attention on GDP growth, big business and the Ambanis, the Supreme Court (SC) has said.

As the Centre urged the SC to ban children from participating in TV reality shows, the judges ridiculed it for not enforcing laws to stop children from being used as prostitutes and labourers.

During the hearing of a PIL filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao, seeking directions for a better life for children, a bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and AK Patnaik said even though there were enough laws to stop exploitation of children, there was a lack of will to make people obey them. “Our system is such that only the most powerful are able to have their way. It is the powerful who are in a position to influence,” the bench said.

“Unless people at the top act, nothing will happen. What is the point in passing directions when they are not implemented? We have passed so many directions in the Narmada Bachao Andolan case,” the judges said.

Earlier, solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam suggested the court give directives so that children were not exploited anywhere, including reality shows.

The judges reacted sharply: “People in the media are more concerned with GDP growth. Do they promote child rights or the rights of other weak sections? The media is more focused on GDP, big business houses and the Ambanis.”

Taking note of bureaucratic inertia in enforcing legislations, the judges remarked: “Parliament makes laws, but it’s all on paper. If the media makes an issue out of the exploitation of children, it will make the government act. But nobody is focussing on the issue.”