"Any form of corporal punishment violates the children's rights and should be criminalised‚” said SAHRC's head of research‚ Dr Fola Adeleke‚ who was speaking after the launch.
In its report‚ the SAHRC says it has called on the department of education to expedite the establishment of a "national protocol to enforce the statutory prohibition of corporal punishment in schools‚ address the shortcomings in the current legislative and policy frameworks‚ and provide for the prosecution of teachers and educators who continue to administer corporal punishment in schools".
According to the report‚ any form of corporal punishment is inconsistent with constitutional values.
"The SAHRC found that even light corporal punishment violates the best interest of the child in the constitution and should be criminalised‚" the report reads.
The report also looked at other issues including deaths that occur as a result of police action or those that occur in police custody‚ assisted suicides‚ slavery and forced labour and human trafficking.
The SAHRC says a lot needs to be done to promote international and regional human rights law amongst government officials‚ policy makers and parliamentarians.
- TimesLIVE
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