Keep Up With Global Black News

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox.

BY Michael Eli Dokosi, 12:30pm September 19, 2019,

South African court says spanking children at home is illegal and parents are furious

by Michael Eli Dokosi, 12:30pm September 19, 2019,
School children attending parade in South Africa. Photo: Trevor Samson / World Bank

South Africans have expressed outrage about the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Wednesday which held that corporal punishment at home violates children’s rights.

Presiding over the case, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng declared that ‘reasonable chastisement’ of children was inconsistent with the constitution, adding that other ways exist for parents to instil discipline in their wards.

“There is, therefore, a less restrictive means envisaged by Section 36 of the Constitution available to achieve discipline.”

Some parents have welcomed the Children’s Amendment Bill, however, organizations, including the Freedom of Religion (FOR SA) were appalled by the amendment which took two years to be worked on.

South African court says spanking children at home is illegal and parents are furious
South Africa school children via africanews.com

They noted: “You can be arrested and prosecuted for assault and if convicted, will have a life-long criminal record for abuse of your own children. Not just that, but for a trivial non-injurious slap or ‘reasonable chastisement’, your children can be removed from the family home.”

Per Section 12 of the Children’s Amendment Bill:

“Any person caring for a child, including a person who has parental responsibilities and rights in respect of a child, must not treat or punish the child in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way.”

Section 12A (1) notes:

“Any punishment, within the home or other environment, in which physical force or action is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or harm to the child is unlawful.”

The ruling upholds an earlier High Court ruling in which a father was found guilty of assaulting his 13-year-old son. In that ruling court, the court found that the father had exceeded the bounds of reasonable chastisement.

The father had noted that he punished his son for watching pornography as his act went against his religious beliefs.

Since the ruling, various people, including parents, have shared their thoughts compiled below:

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: September 19, 2019

Conversations

Must Read

Connect with us

Join our Mailing List to Receive Updates

Face2face Africa | Afrobeatz+ | BlackStars

Keep Up With Global Black News and Events

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox, plus our curated weekly brief with top stories across our platforms.

No, Thank You