Harare: Zimbabwe’s High Court has outlawed corporal punishment for children both at school and in the home.
The ruling comes after a parent complained that her child in grade one, a class for six-year-olds, had deep bruises after a beating by a teacher.
Linah Pfungwa said her daughter had been punished for failing to have her reading book signed by guardians as proof she had done her homework.
Pfungwa, who filed her application with support from the Justice for Children’s Trust, said her child was severely assaulted with a rubber pipe.
In her application, Pfungwa said that children should not be subjected to any form of violence and such corporal punishment breached their rights under Zimbabwe’s Constitution.
She argued that other forms of discipline should be used for children.
“If my child misbehaves, I ground her by denying her access to television as well as denying her pocket money or other goodies like sweets and presents,” she said.
“If she does well, I reward her by presents or extra hours of watching television.”
“My child is well-behaved and well-brought up simply as a result of the dialogue that I use as a means of discipline.”
Justice David Mangota agreed that corporal punishment for children was unconstitutional and said that parents and teachers should not lay their hands on children even if they misbehave.
