Another
human rights organisation in Swaziland has stepped in to condemn the school
that thrashed a teenager because her parents could not afford to pay school
fees.
The
Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) called the beating of the 17-year-old
school student a gross violation of the Swazi constitution.
Save The
Children, a rights group in Swaziland, had already called the punishment ‘inhumane’ and ‘a crime’.
The
17-year-old student at Emtfonjeni High School had been given 22 strokes of the
cane by a male teacher, against the regulations laid down for the use of corporal
punishment in schools in the kingdom.
The student
had been lashed because she continued to attend school even though her
unemployed parents had not paid fees.
A SWAGAA spokesperson Maureen Littlejohn said
giving a child a 22 strokes punishment for not paying school fees was wrong.
Littlejohn
said the punishment broke the constitution which stated that children should
not be subjected to abuse or torture or other cruel inhuman and degrading
treatment or punishment subject to lawful and moderate chastisement for
purposes of correction.
Littlejohn
added, ‘The Convention on the Rights of the Child has recommended that
Swaziland consider, as a matter of priority, explicitly prohibiting by law
corporal punishment in all settings and conduct awareness-raising and
educational campaigns to ensure that alternative forms of discipline are used
in a manner consistent with the child’s human dignity. This is in line
with international standards and should be the way forward.’
See also
INHUMANE
THRASHING OF SCHOOLGIRL, 17
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