• Child Affairs Ministry feels awareness of relevant parties including public on purpose and implications of legal Amendment insufficient   

The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs stated that it would launch a programme to educate the public — particularly teachers — on the importance of banning corporal punishment, in the wake of ongoing discussions surrounding the proposed Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to introduce legal provisions against the corporal punishment of children.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Dr. Namal Sudarshana said that teachers and other relevant parties are not sufficiently aware of the purpose or implications of the proposed Amendment. “Our idea is that teachers and other parties are not sufficiently aware of this. Therefore, we hope to implement a programme to raise awareness about it. Through this, we can increase their understanding of the issue,” he said.

He also said that legal changes of this sort should have been brought in earlier, as the introduction of such would have resulted in positive outcomes. “These are the things that need to be done. Some countries did this in the 1970s, and have achieved results by now.”

Earlier, Dr. Sudarshana said the Ministry had not yet made a final decision on how to proceed with the proposed Amendment. “What took place so far was only the second reading of the Bill in Parliament. If there are any issues in this Bill, there is room to make the necessary changes. However, we have not made a final decision on how to go ahead with it,” he said.

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) recently called on the Government to clearly state its stance on the proposed Amendment, alleging that it is being pursued mainly to secure a grant of US$ 200 million from an international organisation for a project entitled the Promotion of Rights. CTU President Priyantha Fernando said that while teachers do not condone corporal punishment or violence against children, the proposed Amendment in its present form could expose teachers and principals to unfair legal risks.

The said Bill, which seeks to amend Chapter 19 of the Penal Code, was recently approved by the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice, and Civil Protection. The Bill aims to prohibit corporal punishment and other harmful disciplinary practices against children, introducing legal penalties for such acts.