ConCourt rules that physical punishment in the home is now illegal
- The Constitutional Court has ruled that parents using corporal punishment in the home will find themselves on the wrong side of the law
- This comes as the apex court upheld a 2017 ruling against smacking children in their home
- The ruling found that physical discipline is a violation of children's rights, regardless of reasonable chastisement
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The Constitutional Court has officially made it illegal to give your child a hiding in the privacy of your own home.
The Citizen reports that Wednesday's ruling saw the Freedom of Religion South Africa losing their bid to challenge a 2017 High Court finding in the same matter.
The group had argued that, while it didn't promote abuse, citizens had the right to raise their kids according to their religious beliefs.
eNCA reports that ConCourt had prohibited corporal punishment in detention back in 1995, with it outlawed in schools in 2000.
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Briefly.co.za gathered that Freedom of Religion SA had argued that the ruling will make criminals out of parents trying to do the best for their offspring.
The group is adamant that there is a clear difference between violence, abuse and physical correction.
The Children's Institute, on the other hand, insisted that tools such as 'timeout' and removing privileges were some alternatives to spanking.
The institute had insisted that children often didn't understand the difference between right and wrong during the early developmental stages.
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Source: Briefly News
