The singer shares sons Milan, 10 and Sasha, 8, with her soccer star ex.
Shakira is asking for the media to respect her sons' right to privacy amid her move from Barcelona. The "TGQ" singer took to social media Tuesday to address friends and journalists in the media about the difficult year both she and her children, Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8, have had amid her split from soccer star Gerard Piqué.
"At this moment of changes in my life as a public figure, it is understandable that there is a permanent curiosity from the press around me and my family. Yet my children, Milan and Sasha have lived a very difficult year, suffering an incessant siege and relentless pursuit by paparazzi and various media in Barcelona," Shakira began. "As they begin a new phase in their lives, I urge the media on behalf of my children to please respect their right to privacy."
In addition to asking for the media to respect her sons' privacy, the 46-year-old performer laid out a few ground rules to ensure a smooth transition for the kids as they settle into their new home, reportedly in Miami, Florida, where Shakira has lived previously.
"I ask you to refrain from following them to the exit or entrance of the school, wait for them at the door of our house, or chase them to their extracurricular activities, and games as it has happened every day in Barcelona in order to obtain photographs or better ratings," she continued. "I trust that journalists and photographers are sensitive to the situation facing Milan and Sasha and can behave in the most humane way possible with them, given that this is the health and physical and emotional integrity of two under 8 and 10 years of just wishing they could go out on the street, and attend school feeling safe and having the peace of mind not being chased or subjected to constant surveillance of cameras."
It's something, Shakira added, she is asking for not just as an artist who has been in the public eye for two decades, but as a mother who wants to protect her children.
"I extend this petition no longer as an artist, but as a mother who wants to protect and care for the psychological and emotional well-being of her children so that they can live a healthy and happy life, as every child deserves," Shakira said before ending the lengthy post.
Shakira's call to the media comes just days after she announced that she and her children were moving away from Barcelona, where she had lived with Piqué and their two little ones, for over a decade.
"I settled in Barcelona to give my children a stability which we are now looking for in another corner of the world alongside family, friends and the sea," Shakira wrote in an Instagram caption initially written in Spanish. "Today we begin a new chapter in pursuit of their happiness."
Shakira thanked her fans for their support while she and her sons navigate the move. "Thank you to everyone who surfed alongside my many waves here in Barcelona, the city where I learned that friendship is definitely more lasting than love. Thank you to everyone who has been there to cheer me up, dried my tears, inspired me and made me grow."
"Thank you to my Spanish fans who have always surrounded me with their love and loyalty," she concluded. "For you, this is just a 'See you later!' and like my father said so many times, 'See you around the curves! ❤️"
Shakira and Piqué first announced their split last summer, after Shakira allegedly discovered the soccer player cheating on her with the woman he is now dating publicly, Clara Chía.
In January, the singer's new music seemingly referenced the scandal with the song lyric, "Las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan," which translates to, "Women don't cry anymore, they send a bill."
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