Pregnant actress Halle Berry says her daughter is afraid of the paparazzi.
Speaking to the Assembly Committee on Public Safety in California in support of a legislation to restrict press photographers' access to children of celebrities, Berry said that due to the fear of photographers her daughter Nahla refuses to go to school.
The 46-year-old, who is pregnant with her second child, said, "My daughter doesn't want to go to school because she knows 'the men' are watching for her. They jump out of the bushes and from behind cars and who knows where else, besieging these children just to get a photo."
Berry is known to have had a tough time with press photographers. In April it was reported that the actress shouted at lens men at the Los Angeles International Airport and told them to stay away from her young daughter.
After Berry's evidence, the committee voted in favor of the new legislation that changes the definition of harassment to include photographing or recording a child without the permission of a legal guardian by following the child or guardian's activities or by lying in wait, reported Sky News.
The legislation has increased the fine for people convicted of such behavior. Punishment for first offence has been set for 10 days to a year's imprisonment.
However, journalists say that they believe such legislation would hamper news gathering. "It sweeps legitimate newsgathering activities into the new definition of harassment and exposes everyday activities that journalists do to criminal and civil liability," said Jim Ewert of the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
