The Government of Japan has announced that prohibit physical punishment of minors by their parents or legal guardians. This measure comes after the death of two girls at the hands of their parents, which has caused the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to urge the country to urgently review its legislation.
And although in Japan, current regulations prohibit child abuse, it is not clearly specified which cases are considered corporal punishment, so a legislative review that protects minors is essential.
Two deceased girls at the hands of their parents
In March 2018, Yua Funato, five years old, He died in Tokyo for continued abuse and abuse by his stepfather, who was arrested twice. The mother was aware of the situation, and even prevented social services from visiting the child.
In Babies and more The four "R": the negative consequences of punishment in childrenIn January of this year, the victim was another ten-year-old girl named Mia Kurihara, who died after her parents they will mistreat you depriving you of food and sleep. Subsequent investigations revealed that social services and local authorities were also aware in this case.
Both events have shaken the public opinion of the country, and have caused the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to urge Japan to "prioritize the elimination of all forms of violence against children".
Not in vain, In 2018 alone, more than 80,000 cases were investigated in the Asian country of alleged abuse and sexual abuse of children, a figure that increased by more than 22 percent over the previous year.
Confusing legislation
While current law in Japan prohibits child abuse, It does not clearly state what the limits are and what is considered physical punishment, specifying only that "Those who exercise parental authority will pay due attention to the proper exercise of such authority to discipline their child".
Therefore, and following the tragic events that have occurred, the Government and the ruling coalition intend to review the legislation and specify what types of disciplinary acts constitute physical punishment, whether it is exercised by parents and guardians, or by social workers.
In Babies and moreThree Texas schools impose physical punishment by hitting wooden shovels on students who disobeyAlso want strengthen the role of social services and child welfare centers so that they can intervene in an agile way when needed, guaranteeing the rapid separation of children, from their abusive parents.
Hitting a child is a crime in many countries
Sweden was the first country to specifically ban physical punishment and child abuse. Since then, around 50 countries have followed in their footsteps, being the cases of France and the state of Coahuila (Mexico), the most recent of which we have echoed.
In our country, hitting a child is a crime, and this is included in the Criminal Code in its article 153, where it explicitly sanctions all types of domestic violence against children with "imprisonment from six months to one year or work for the benefit of the community."
But unfortunately, socially and culturally scourge and slap are still seen as educational methods or lawful ways to correct a behavior, for which United We decided to register in the Congress of Deputies last December, a proposal of Organic Law to prohibit all kinds of violence against children, however slight.
In Babies and more Children, what we should protect the most: main keys to the future law against violence in childhood Parents have a responsibility to educate our children with the greatest respect for them, without using physical punishment as a correction tool. There are many compelling reasons why a child should never be hit, but the main one is that after years of research it has been shown that the scourges do not work and are harmful, in addition to modifying the behavior, both in childhood and in Adult stage.
