Laudable decision

On Tuesday (Feb 23), the National Assembly passed a bill banning corporal punishment. This bill, titled ‘the ICT Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill’, was presented by the PML-N leader, Mehnaz Akbar Aziz. It was good to observe that the government and the opposition passed the bill without any objections. Even though the bill is limited to Islamabad, it is hoped that the authorities will do more to ban corporal punishment in every province. Also, the government has to ensure the strict implementation of the recently approved law.

For many years, the Punjab government tried to implement the policy of ‘maar nahin pyaar’ in education institutions. However, these practices didn’t really help improve the situation. Even today, children are exposed to physical and sexual violence in schools and at workplaces. According to a 2018 report published by an NGO, at least 10 children are exposed to abuse every day. The government needs to take proper steps to put an end to child abuse.

Fahad Siddique

Islamabad