Prohibition of corporal punishment in the home in South Africa

Policy Brief

Corporal punishment in the home refers to any kind of physical force inflicted on children by a parent or guardian as a means of discipline. It is a grave concern in terms of children’s development as it violates children’s human rights to physical integrity and human dignity, as upheld by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), as well as the South African Constitution.