Campaign Contents
- Introduction
- Corporal Punishment Booklet
- Press Statements
- Opinion Pieces
Introduction
South Africa has constitutionalised human rights, however, many of these rights have not been realised for people living in South Africa. The Bill of Rights, which is at the cornerstone of our Constitution, gives special attention to the protection and promotion of children’s rights. Section 28 of the Bill of Rights states that all children have the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation.
In 2019, SECTION27 received two complaints of corporal punishment. In the first instance, a learner attending grade two at a primary school in Gauteng was hit on the back of his head with a PVC pipe by his teacher.
In the second instance, a teacher at a primary school in Limpopo struck a grade five learner on her cheek and then on her head. The learner experienced a lasting bleed from her ears which required her to visit several doctors, resulting in her absenteeism from school. Consequently, the learner was forced to repeat grade five. The parents of both learners have shared that their children felt afraid to return to school. SECTION27 has taken the South African Council of Educators to court to call on stringent sanctions on those found guilty of perpetrating corporal punishment.
Corporal Punishment booklet
Corporal punishment has been illegal in South Africa since its prohibition in 1996. Nonetheless, incidents of physical abuse of learners by educators in South African schools persist, often going under reported and inadequately addressed. SECTION27’s ongoing efforts to promote the right to education reveal the need for better reporting. To address this, we’ve created a comprehensive manual to guide learners, parents, and educators in the reporting process.
Press Statements
Leading up to and following the case there were a number of press statements you can read them here:
- SECTION27 takes SACE sanctions on cases of corporal punishment on review
- SECTION27 goes to the Supreme Court of Appeal calling for SACE’s lenient sanctions on corporal punishment to be reviewed
- SACE Leave to Appeal Granted
- SACE case back in court
- SACE court case April 2022
- The Supreme Court of Appeal upholds the best interest of the child in corporal punishment case
- SECTION27 welcomes SCA ruling against corporal punishment
Opinion Pieces
SECTION27, and partners wrote a series of op-eds on the SACE case read them here:
- Enforcing corporal punishment ban in South Africa’s schools still elusive By Dr. Faranaaz Veriava
- Council of Educators has failed to protect pupils from abuse and end corporal punishment, but is soft on teachers By Zahara Motani
- Corporal punishment ban in SA schools, more than two decades later: More needs to be done By Gertrude Quan, Isabel Magaya and Mila Harding
- Corporal Punishment in South African Township Schools: The root cause of a violent South Africa By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng
- Teachers are not being adequately held to account for assaulting pupils By Demichelle Petherbridge
- The council for educators needs a heavier hand in dealing with the scourge of corporal punishment By Mila Harding
- Bad teachers still reach for the rod By Dr. Faranaaz Veriava
- Court victory for corporal punishment victims — why this ruling on sanctions against teachers is significant by Demichelle Petherbridge, Joy Hlatshwayo and Livhuwani Malelelo