Shakira urges media to respect her children's 'right to privacy'

Shakira is asking for the media to respect her children's "right to privacy."

In an Instagram post she shared Monday, written in her native Spanish, the "TQG" singer said she wants to "protect the psychological and emotional well-being" of her sons Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8, whom she shares with ex-partner and former soccer player Gerard Piqué.

"In this moment of changes in my life as a public figure, it’s understandable that a permanent curiosity exists on behalf of the press around me and my family," she began. "However, my children, Milan and Sasha, have lived through a difficult year, suffering an incessant siege and relentless persecution by the paparazzi and the media in Barcelona."

"I beg you to refrain from following them in and out of school, waiting for them at our front door, and following them to their extracurricular activities as has happened every day in Barcelona in an effort to capture photos and get better ratings," Shakira continued.

The Columbian singer asked for reporters and photographers to "be sensitive" to her children's situation and "behave in the most humane way possible toward them, keeping in mind that this is about the physical and emotional well-being of two minors ... who only wish to go out on the street, go to school feeling safe and with the tranquility that they will not be followed or submitted to the constant scrutiny of the cameras."

Shakira ended her message by saying that she was making her plea "as a mother."

"I ask this not as an artist, but as a mother who wishes to care and protect the psychological and emotional well-being of her children so that they can live a healthy and happy life, like all children deserve," she concluded. "Thanks for your understanding and support."

Shakira's Instagram post comes weeks after she and Piqué both spoke publicly about their June 2022 split.

In February, Shakira opened up to the host of "En Punto" on the Televisa Network about her personal growth journey after the breakup, saying that "when a woman has to face the ravages of life, she comes out stronger."

She added that her kids have driven her to "be stronger than a lioness" and that her sons "fill me with love every day."

While Piqué didn't comment on the split directly in an interview with El País last month, he spoke about putting their kids first amid the many life changes that resulted from their breakup.

"It's about protecting them. That is the job of all parents with children," he said. "That is what I am focused on and that is my job as a father."