Article 19 - Volume 1 Number 2, September 2005

Extracted from text ... 3 EDITORIAL On 22 June 2005, the National Assembly passed the Children's Bill, No. 70 of 2003. Although this section 75 Bill still has to pass through the National Council of Provinces and the section 76 version of the Children's Bill still has to be introduced and debated in Parliament, it is disappointing that the issue of corporal punishment was not addressed (despite numerous submissions calling for a total prohibition). This unsatisfactory result is all the more frustrating given the fact that 2005 is the tenth anniversary of South Africa's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of ..

Extracted from text ... assault, and common and codified laws which allow for reasonable chastisement of children. Participants were in agreement that corporal punishment constitutes violence against children, and that countries who have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child should develop and implement legislation which specifically and explicitly outlaws corporal punishment in all settings, including the home. With regard to the group that dealt with institutional frameworks, it was recommended that: ? There should be a provision of parenting skills training that considers the developmental stages of children, counselling services and support for families. ? Corporal punishment should be contextualised and ..

Extracted from text ... associated with a host of negative outcomes - outcomes that often persist well into adulthood. According to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, a large body of international research has identified the following harmful effects: ? Escalation: Mild punishments in infancy are so ineffective that they tend to escalate as the child grows older. The little smack thus becomes a spanking and then a beating. Parents convicted of seriously assaulting their children often explain that the illtreatment of their child began as physical punishment. ? Encouraging violence: Even a little slap carries the message that violence ..

Extracted from text ... 8 UNDERSTANING CONCEPTS What is corporal punishment? The following is an extract taken from Corporal Punishment and Bullying: The Rights of Learners, a publication of the Education Rights Project (ERP) of the Wits Education Policy Unit, written by Salim Vally. Physical punishment Physical punishment is a deliberate act that causes pain or physical discomfort in order to punish someone. Corporal or physical punishment can take many forms, including hitting with a hand or an object (such as a cane, belt, whip, shoe or ruler), slapping, kicking, shaking, burning, pinching or pulling hair; forcing someone to stand in an uncomfortable and ..

Extracted from text ... scourge, other chronic diseases like high blood-pressure, diabetes, as well as road accidents. These have resulted in a new group of children with special needs, namely, orphaned and vulnerable children, popularly known in Swaziland as OVCs. Family structures used to be responsible for providing children with love and financial support, but with the death of family members, teachers often need to fill the gap. I believe that African teachers have a great responsibility towards children who come to school bearing heavy burdens. These children look to teachers to give them parental love, care and an opportunity to laugh. When I ..

Extracted from text ... 10 COMMON MYTHS Common arguments ""justifying"" corporal punishment ""I was hit when I was a child - it did me no harm. If it were not for my parents and teachers physically punishing me, I would not be here today."" There are many examples of individuals who were not hit as children who later became great successes, as well as even more examples of individuals who were hit who failed to fulfil their potential in later life. Corporal punishment does not affect everyone in the same way. Some people are more resilient and others more sensitive. For those who are ..

Extracted from text ... from achieving self-control and dealing effectively with the problem. We can become aware of these unhelpful thoughts and change them into helpful ones that will enable us to act effectively and assertively. For example: UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS HELPFUL THOUGHTS (Aggressive or passive) (Assertive) Why is he doing this to me? I don't like this behaviour so I'm going to do something about it. There she goes again! I'm not going to take this personally. I'm annoyed but I am not out of control. How dare she talk to me like that! I know my child is out of control and it's ..

Extracted from text ... 12 The Parent Centre The Parent Centre works with parents, caregivers, childcare workers, educators, early childhood development practitioners, social workers, psychologists, as well as anyone who either is actively parenting a child/ren, who is responsible for the education and nurturing of children, or who works with parents/caregivers themselves. The Parent Centre provides services throughout the Western Cape and responds to requests from outside. The Parent Centre has projects/programmes in the following communities: Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain, Lavender Hill, Steenberg and Grassy Park, Khayelitsha, Guguletu, Nyanga, Crossroads, Imizamo Yethu (Houtbay), and Phillipi. The Parent Centre Third Floor 155 On -Main, Wynberg 7800 ..

Extracted from text ... University of the Witwatersrand Education Polciy Unit publishes a booklet on corporal punishment The Education Rights Project of the Wits Education Policy Unit has published a handbook entitled, Corporal Punishment and Bullying: The Rights of Learners, to explain why physical and humiliating punishment negatively affects discipline, teaching and learning. The publication follows many reports made to the Education Rights Project over the past two years, regarding the physical and emotional abuse of learners. The Unit recognises that while some educators have found creative nonviolent ways to approach classroom discipline, others struggle to find effective solutions. This publication is aimed at trying ..