Grahamstown's Child Protection Action Forum (CPAF) will launch its Child Protection Protocol Document for people working with children in Grahamstown today, Friday 6 June. The move is part of South Africa's Child Protection Week, from 1-8 June.
Grahamstown's Child Protection Action Forum (CPAF) will launch its Child Protection Protocol Document for people working with children in Grahamstown today, Friday 6 June. The move is part of South Africa's Child Protection Week, from 1-8 June.
Also this week, Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, announced moves to ban corporal punishment in all spheres of life, including in the home.
“Children are impressionable and when those in positions of authority use violent means to encourage discipline, the children understand this as saying violence is permissible when trying to persuade others to act in a certain way. This is why we are going to forge ahead with banning corporal punishment even in the home environment,” said Dlamini in a statement this week.
The statement, issued by her department, came as deliberations by human rights lawyers during the conference on corporal punishment hosted by the South African Human Rights Commission revealed that unlawful corporal punishment in schools continues to take place.
"Corporal punishment is outlawed in public life – that is, in schools, alternative care settings, including foster care settings and early childhood development centres – in order to prevent cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment of children by their teachers and caregivers," the statement said.
Dlamini said the government had taken the decision to illegalise corporal punishment to protect children’s rights as well as break the cycle of violence in South African society.
Section 12 of the Constitution guarantees the right of all people, including children, to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources, not to be tortured in any way, and not to be treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way.
Dlamini said the rights of children must be considered in full and that children must be protected from violent behaviour in all sectors of life.
“The rights on the protection of children must be applied uniformly across all areas of life. That we see media reports on children being subjected to cruelty and inhumane behaviour by their parents through corporal punishment is an indication that protection of children in the home environment needs to be addressed,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said the Department of Social Development recognised that discipline could not be removed in the home. However, alternative forms of discipline that do not include violence must be given prominence.
“While the law we propose would be a positive development in caring for our children in that it will raise awareness about what abuse is and how negative corporal punishment is and can be to a child’s development, we also need to help parents find more positive alternative forms of discipline,” said Dlamini.
For more information about Grahamstown's Child Protection Protocol Document, email childwelfareght@telkomsa.net or call 046 636 1355.
