Govt warns against sharing images of vulnerable children
DAR ES SALAAM: THE Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups has warned content creators, journalists and the public against sharing images or videos of vulnerable children, saying the practice violates the law and can leave lasting harm on their lives.
The warning comes amid growing use of social media, where images and videos are widely shared to attract public attention.
Assistant Commissioner for Social Welfare and Child Services, Ms Happy Msimbe, said producing, sharing or facilitating the distribution of such content is an offence under the Law of the Child Act, Cap 13. Offenders face a fine of not less than 5m/- or imprisonment for six months, or both.
She said the law protects children found in settings such as children’s homes, juvenile remand facilities and approved schools, where their situations may expose them to unnecessary public attention.
Ms Msimbe cited Section 162(1)(k) of the Act, which prohibits the production and dissemination of content showing children in such circumstances. She warned that sharing such images on social media can expose children to stigma and painful memories they may wish to leave behind.
“It is an offence to produce content, disseminate it or enable another person to disseminate images of children in such circumstances,” she said.
She noted that the law aims to protect children from having difficult childhood experiences repeatedly brought back into public view through circulating images and information.
According to Ms Msimbe, a child seen today in a vulnerable situation may grow into an adult who becomes a leader, Member of Parliament, parent or professional, making it crucial to protect their dignity and privacy from an early age.
“The child would want to forget the scars and memories of childhood, but the content being circulated can make the child fail to forget them throughout life,” she said.
The Ministry stressed that the desire to inform, entertain or attract audiences does not override children’s rights to privacy, dignity and protection.
Ms Msimbe urged Tanzanians to refrain from sharing information and images that could expose vulnerable children. Where there is a legitimate need to communicate information involving a child, she advised that the child’s face should be concealed to prevent identification.
She also reminded the public that ignorance of the law is not a defence. “Let us protect our children and love our children,” she said.
The warning forms part of broader government efforts to strengthen child protection and ensure children grow up in safe environments, free from violence, exploitation, abuse and other harm.
Presenting the Ministry’s 2026/27 budget estimates in the National Assembly, the Minister, Dr Dorothy Gwajima said interventions to improve child survival, development, protection and wellbeing are ongoing.
She said the Ministry received 294.4m/- in external funding to support education on positive parenting under the Child Survival and Development project.
The Ministry also coordinated a stakeholders’ meeting on adolescent-focused interventions and financed preparations for the Fifth Meeting of States Parties on implementing the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Dr Gwajima said the Ministry is implementing measures on child online safety, the National Multisectoral Programme for Parenting, Early Childhood Care, Development and Learning (PJT-MMMAM), and efforts to prevent violence against children, including female genital mutilation and abuse through digital platforms.
She added that legal protection efforts continue, noting that at the start of the 2025/26 financial year in July 2025, a total of 1,237 gender-based violence cases against children were pending in courts.
