Zimbabwe Government outlaws child beating

Zimbabwe Government outlaws child beating

A Zimbabwe High Court has banned corporal punishment or beating of children both at school and in the home.

The ban came after a parent, Linah Pfungwa, complained that her child in grade one, a class for six-year-olds, had deep bruises after she was flogged by a teacher. She said her daughter was punished for failing to have her reading book signed by guardians as proof she had done her homework. Ms.  Pfungwa, who filed her application with support of a group called the Justice for Children’s Trust adding that her child was severely assaulted with a rubber pipe.

The constitutional court will have to confirm the judgement.

According to the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Zimbabwe capital, Harare, if this law is upheld, it would transform the way parents have disciplined their children for centuries in the southern African country. In reaction to this law, some parents have lamented, criticising the ruling, while human rights groups states that the law is long overdue.

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