Call to enforce laws on smacking

LAHORE: A non-government organisation, working for child protection in country, demanded the government enact exclusive laws to prohibit corporal punishment to protect life, dignity and self-respect of children.

This was demanded during a press conference held in Lahore Press Club arranged by the NGO. Iftikhar Mubarik, the NGO’s Executive Director, shared that the convention on child rights in its Article 19 requires the State to protect children from all forms of violence. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called for eradication and prohibition of all forms of corporal punishment, recommended the government run campaign on the harmful impact of corporal punishment, with a view to changing the prevailing attitude towards this practice and to promote positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child-rearing and discipline.

Tanveer Jahan highlighted the need for mandatory teacher training on how to discipline children in a positive manner. Dr Aliya Aftab, a psychologist, pointed out that beating leaves a permanent scar on children. Sameer Haider, another activist, condemned the recent incident in which a 16-year-old student Hunain was tortured by his teacher. It is widely acknowledged now that corporal punishment is a fundamental breach of children’s right to human dignity. There are children who drop out of schools because of corporal punishment. The government needs to attend to the challenge of making school a safe place where children can learn without fear, said Sameer.