Peruvian television presenter Milagros Leiva is facing widespread public backlash and calls for her removal from Panamericana Televisión after revealing the identity of a minor who was allegedly the victim of a sexual assault at the Liceo Naval school.
During the Friday, September 18 broadcast of her current affairs program Esta noche, Leiva stated the child's name on national television. The disclosure sparked immediate anger across social media, where viewers demanded her immediate dismissal from the network.
Later in the same broadcast, Leiva apologized live on air to the child's family and described her action as an unforgivable error. Expressing deep regret for mentioning the minor's name, she got on her knees during the program to ask the family for forgiveness.
Milagros Leiva is a well-known Peruvian journalist and news anchor who hosts the evening program Esta noche on Panamericana Televisión. Panamericana Televisión, operating on Channel 5, is one of Peru's primary commercial broadcast television networks, headquartered in the capital city of Lima.
Despite her on-air apology, anger continued to grow online, particularly on the social media platform X. Critics expressed deep outrage over the privacy violation, with several users insisting that Leiva should face formal trial, conviction, and imprisonment for identifying the child.
Other commentators drew comparisons to Peruvian television host Magaly Medina, who served time in prison in 2008 following a high-profile defamation lawsuit over celebrity gossip. Users questioned what penalty Leiva should receive for exposing an underage sexual assault victim if media figures had previously gone to prison over minor gossip.
Viewers also dismissed claims that the name was stated accidentally out of emotion, arguing that a journalist with many years of professional experience should know that identifying minor victims of crime is illegal and unethical. Commentators urged critics to consider the situation from the perspective of the young victim and their family.
Government and legal warnings
The controversy quickly extended beyond social media to involve state institutions. Peru's Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations issued a statement strongly rejecting the public disclosure of the minor's identity, reaffirming the state's duty to protect vulnerable children.
The Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations serves as the cabinet-level government department in Peru tasked with protecting children, adolescents, and victims of violence. Legal authorities also warned that the network could face administrative sanctions under Peru's Personal Data Protection Law, which strictly regulates the handling and privacy of sensitive personal data.
Panamericana TV edits and removes episode
In an initial attempt to manage the growing backlash, the production team at Panamericana Televisión edited the recording of the broadcast before uploading it to YouTube. The station removed the segment where Leiva named the minor, as well as the moment where she knelt to apologize.
The edit failed to stop the controversy from spreading across the internet. Social media users recorded and shared short video clips of the live broadcast, ensuring that footage of the incident remained visible online.
As public criticism persisted and official warnings over data privacy violations increased, Panamericana Televisión took more decisive action. The network ultimately removed the entire September 18 episode of Esta noche from its YouTube channel.
Remaining content and legal coverage
Previous editions of the program remain available online. A check of the show's YouTube channel shows that the broadcast from Thursday, September 17, and earlier episodes are still accessible.
Although the network deleted the main episode from Friday, it kept online a separate interview that Leiva conducted during the broadcast with defense lawyer César Nakazaki. Nakazaki, a prominent Peruvian legal expert, had appeared on the show to analyze the Liceo Naval case from a legal perspective.
The Liceo Naval educational system comprises naval schools in Peru operated for military families and civilians. Panamericana Televisión has not announced further staff changes, while regulatory oversight regarding child privacy protections remains ongoing.
