6 African Counties Where It Is Illegal To Beat Your Kids

When it comes to using corporal punishment to train a child, African parents take to whole cake.

 

The scientific research is pretty clear that spanking kids is ineffective, if spanking truly works, then Nigeria would produce the best children in the world.

 

Spanking correlates with various bad outcomes, including addiction, depression and other mental health problems. But spanking remains legal in most countries of the world, including the United States.

 

Sweden was the first country in the world to completely abolish all corporal punishment of
children in 1979 and since then 43 countries have outlawed spanking, and two more are about to.

 

In Africa, six countries have been able to fully protect children from corporal punishment by law.

 

It is important to note that while the children in these countries are fully protected from every form of corporal punishment by the law, they still get a good beating from their parents and teachers as full implementation of the law in these countries have remained problematic.

 

1. Togo

 

Togo banned corporal punishment of kids in 2007. The Children Code of Togo considers corporal punishment a breach of law. The Code also explicitly prohibits punishment in schools and in penal and care institutions.

 

In order to support the implementation of the prohibition, the government has taken a number of measures, including: Launching the Learn Without Fear Campaign, setting up a child protection hotline that any person can use anonymously and many more.

 

Though majority of the teachers and parents still believe that beating a child is the most appropriate punishment and corporal punishment continues to be used.

 

Further work is being put in place to ensure full implementation of the law and elimination of corporal punishment.

 

2. Kenya

 

In 2010, Kenya proposed a new constitution can into force on 27 August 2010. The Bill of Rights protects the right of every person not to be subject to corporal punishment by any person in any setting. If you paid any attention to the previous sentence, you will notice that the rights apply to all persons and all settings.

 

3. Tunisia

 

In July 2010, Parliament passed a Law amending to Penal Code to remove the clause which provided a legal defence for the use of corporal punishment in childbearing.

 

Prior to the reform, the Penal Code punished assault and violence which did not lead to serious or lasting consequences for the victim, but stated that “correction of a child by persons in authority over him is not punishable”.

 

The new law explicitly repeals this clause, making it a criminal offence to assault a child even lightly, even if you are correcting the child.

 

Opponents of the amendment argued that it undermines parents’ authority and could lead to loosening of traditionally close family ties.

 

4. South Sudan

 

On 14 July 2011, the Republic of Sudan became the 193rd member state of the United Nations, having achieved independence on 9 July of the same year.

 

South Sudan achieved full prohibition of corporal punishment, though legislation prohibiting corporal punishment was originally enacted prior to independence.

 

In 2005, the Interim constitution stated that “Every child has the right . . . (f) to be free from corporal punishment and cruel and inhuman treatment by any person including parents, school administrations and other institutions”.

 

Prohibition was confirmed in article the Child Act (2008). The child act protects children from capital punishment, life imprisonment, corporal punishment, or group punishment by chiefs, police, teacher, prison guards or any other person in any place or institution, including schools, prisons and reformatories.

 

After Independence in 2011 these laws came into force.

 

5. Cape Verde

 

Cape Verde has banned all forms of corporal punishment of children, including within the family.

 

As part of article 31 of the Law on Children and Adolescents 2013, which entered into force in 2013, parents must, „In exercising the right to correction always keep in mind the rights of children and adolescents to an upbringing free from violence, corporal punishment, psychological harm and any other measures affecting their dignity, which are all inadmissible.”

 

Before 2013, corporal punishment was a criminal offence in all public and private institutions under the Civil Code, but it remained lawful in the home and other care settings.

 

6. Congo, Republic of

 

Article 53 on Protection of the Law on the Protection of the Child (2010) states: “It is prohibited to use corporal punishment for disciplining or correcting the child” (unofficial translation)

 

The government in its report to the committee on the Rights of the Child in 2010, confirmed that prohibition now extends to the home setting.