Submitted by crinadmin on
Fewer than 20 countries worldwide have adopted legislation to prohibit corporal punishment of children. However, the global movement to reverse the culture of corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating and degrading punishment of children is gaining momentum. It is based on a growing understanding of children as rights holders and the growing body of evidence from medical, educational and psychological authorities on the negative effects of corporal punishment and its ineffectiveness as a method of discipline. Corporal punishment of children violates children’s human rights to physical integrity and human dignity, as upheld by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). States across the world have an obligation to ensure that children’s right to a life free from violence, including corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating and degrading punishment, is protected. Children’s right to a life free from violence also extends to children's home life. Defenders of corporal punishment suggest that children are different. But their differences – their dependence, developmental state and fragility – do not reduce their human rights or justify less protection from all forms of violence, including corporal punishment. This publication provides information about corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating and degrading punishment of children in Swaziland. It outlines international obligations to prohibit the corporal punishment of children and to engage in public education. It provides recommendations on steps to be taken by the government and civil society to ensure that the culture of corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating and degrading punishment of children is replaced by positive, non-violent forms of discipline based on respect for children’s rights. In this publication, a child is referred to as a person below the age of 18 years in accordance with the CRC. Corporal punishment of children violates children’s human rights to physical integrity and human dignity, as upheld by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), as well as the South African Constitution. It is the obligation of all States to ensure that children’s right to a life free from violence, including corporal punishment and other forms of humiliating and degrading punishment, is protected.