PROHIBITION OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN INTERNATIONAL LAW: ANALYSIS OF LEGAL DEFENCES AND JUSTIFICATION

Abstract

The effort of international organisationsto prohibit the use of corporal punishment on children has not been without controversies. This study analyses the issues surrounding the prohibition of corporal punishment on minors.  One of such  issues  relates  to  the  ‘reasonable  chastisement’defence,  anoldlegal  justification  for  applying  corporal punishment  on  a  child.  Such defence  is  no  longer  tenable  under  the  purview  of  international  law.  In  addition,  the lawful use of force for the purpose of correcting a child under the Nigerian Criminal Code, Penal Code and Sharia code  respectively  is  a  violation  of  international  human  rights  law.  Researches  by  international  experts  have indicated  that  physical  punishment  involves  the  use  of  corporal  punishment.  Furthermore,  surveys  by  the  United Nations  have  further  proven  corporal  punishment  as  the  most  common  form  of  violence  against  children.    Hence, the prohibition of corporal punishment under international law aims to protect and promote respect for the human dignity of a child as enshrined under the  Convention on the  Rights of a child. Corporal punishment as a means of correction no longer holds ground under International human rights Law. Therefore legal reforms should include a creative way of correction that will not violate a child’s human dignity.