Shakira begs media to stop harassment of her children with Gerard Pique

Colombian pop superstar Shakira has finally moved back to Miami with her two children with former partner, Gerard Pique. As part of her family's fresh start after her breakup with the former footballer, she is pleading with members of the media to respect her children's privacy especially as they adjust to their new lives away from Barcelona.

It has been nearly a year since Shakira and Piqué announced their separation after 11 years together. Rumours started circulating about problems in the relationship around this time last year, and by the summer, they released a joint statement confirming the split. The terms of the separation took much longer to negotiate, but it has been known since around September that the Latin singer wants to uproot her children and rebuild her life in Florida.

The move was expected to take place after the New Year, but several circumstances delayed the move including the precarious condition of the singer's father, who had been facing some struggles with his health and had been receiving treatment in Barcelona,

However, the singer finally pushed through with the plan after getting served with an eviction notice by Pique's father last month. She was given until the end of April to vacate what was once the family home. As a result, she took advantage of the Easter break to finally pack everything up and make the move.

However, as she begins this new chapter with her sons Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8, she took to social media to make a plea. The 46-year-old shared a post and addressed it to "Respected friends, journalists, and media outlets..."

The singer then captioned the post with a lengthy message saying that "it's understandable" to have the press hovering around her as a public figure especially during a big change in her life. However, amid all the chaos in the aftermath of her breakup with their father, she said that her children "have endured a very difficult year, suffering incessant harassment and persecution without relief by the paparazzi and several media outlets in Barcelona."

Over the past several months, the members of the press have been following the children around in the hopes of catching interactions between their two famous parents. Photos have emerged of Pique picking up or dropping off the children at home, and both parents have also been photographed attending the kids' extracurricular activities.

Shakira clearly does not want the same thing to happen in the United States. She made her requests clear in her statement, saying: "I implore the media on behalf of my children to please respect their right to privacy. I beg you to abstain from following them to the entrance and exit of their school, wait for them at the door of our home, or follow them to their extracurricular and recreational activities as the media did in Barcelona with the intent of capturing photos or boosting ratings."

Understandably, Shakira wants her children to feel safe and comfortable in their new home. They have left the home they grew up in, and while their adjust to their new environment it is only natural for their mother to want to protect them.

She called for the journalists and photographers to be "sensitive" to the situation that her children are in, and have asked them to be treated in a "humane way." She also pointed out that the boys are only ten and eight years old respectively, and that she is concerned for their physical and emotional health.

Finally, she ended her message by saying that she is making a plea as a mother and not as an artist, hoping that the press would listen.

Shakira has gained primary custody of the children after lengthy negotiations with Pique. However, the footballer will continue to have visitation rights and the two parents will share time with the children during holidays.

It may be remembered that the Colombian moved to Barcelona when the children were born in order to stay with the entrepreneur, who had been playing for Football Club Barcelona at that time. The pair never married, but they lived together as a family in the outskirts of Barcelona until early last year.

The former couple announced their split soon after rumours spread that the footballer had been unfaithful. He went public with his new girlfriend, PR student Clara Chia Marti just weeks after the split was confirmed.