“The right not to be hit, also a right of children” The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has defined corporal or physical punishment as “any punishment in which it is used and meaning physical force causes some degree of pain or discomfort, however slight." Punishment can take the form of slaps, spanking and hitting with the hand or with an instrument which can be a stick, a whip, a shoe or a belt. UNICEF specifically mentions that violent discipline is one of the most common characteristics experienced by children. Parents or caregivers want to teach their children self-control and correct behavior, which is, of course, an integral part of child-rearing in all cultures and this is why they depend on the use of violent methods, both physical and psychological, to punish unwanted behaviors and encourage desired ones. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay On July 3, 2019, the French parliament passed a bill to adopt legislation to ban corporal punishment on children in all contexts. This was a groundbreaking development of crucial importance for the protection of children from violence in the country. Rules and regulations, together with the law, constitute the pillars for the correct functioning of the child protection system. In Austria, Article 5 of the Federal Constitutional Law on the Rights of the Child of 2011 explicitly states that every child has the right to a non-violent education, prohibiting corporal punishment, infliction of mental suffering, sexual abuse and other abuses. . Children must be treated with respect for their person and individuality and cannot be subjected to corporal punishment or any other humiliating treatment." Sweden was the first country to include a specific ban on corporal punishment of children. In Sweden, the Code for Children and Parents was amended in 1979 to include a ban on corporal punishment. Chapter 6, paragraph 1 of the code highlights that “Children have the right to care, safety and a good education. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution protects the “Right to Life” and this is the first point of reference. The 2003 Indian Charter, called the Bill of Rights of the Child, states that “all children have the right to be protected against abandonment, ill-treatment, harm, trafficking, sexual and physical abuse of all kinds, corporal punishment, torture, exploitation, violence and degrading treatment”. The National Policy on Education (1986) was amended in 1992 and stipulated that corporal punishment will be firmly excluded from the education system. The 2005 National Action Plan for Children banned schools from eliminating corporal punishment from schools. Section 17 of the Right to Education Bill provides that no child shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment and any person contravening these provisions shall be liable to disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to such person. All children are different, so there can be no prescribed way to behave with a child. The Swedish government has never told parents or legal guardians how to care for their children, but has told them that their child is their responsibility and that they should be raised with love and not with violence or corporal punishment. To curb the problem of corporal punishment and violent discipline, parents should provide adequate direction and guidance. Every parent's priority will be to put best interests first.
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