KUALA LUMPUR: The public should not publish any pictures of children involved in criminal proceedings in the media, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
In a post on Facebook, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said doing so violated subsection 15(2) of the Child Act 2001, which could result in criminal charges.
"With the recent cases of children involved in criminal proceedings, I would like to remind the public of subsection 15(2) of the Child Act 2001 that prohibits the publishing of any pictures of a child who is involved in criminal proceedings in the media, and violation of this provision could result in criminal charges.
"We should place our trust in the law and its due processes when dealing with cases involving children.
Azalina was referring to a case involving a 12-year-old child who was charged with driving a car without a license on Monday.
The incident, which took place at about 8pm on a Sunday, involved the 12-year-old boy taking his two younger brothers, aged four and six, for a drive in a Perodua Viva around their residential area.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, raising widespread concern.
The father was summoned to the police station that same night to provide a statement regarding the incident.
The boy's father claimed trial to allowing him to drive the car on the road. The court granted the father bail of RM2,000 with one surety, with Sept 4 set for mention.
The father was charged under Section 39(5) of the Road Transport Act, while the boy was charged under Section 39(1) of the same act, which prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from driving a vehicle on public roads.