To mark the International Day to End Corporal Punishment in 2024, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code to prohibit corporal punishment in all spheres.
Today’s approval paves the way for legal protections to ensure that no child in Sri Lanka suffers physical or mental violence, aligning with our commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of every child.
Currently, Sri Lankan law under section 341 of the Penal Code permits corporal punishment by schoolmasters, while section 82 allows actions taken ‘in good faith for the benefit of a child or person of unsound mind, by or with the consent of a guardian.’
These provisions have been increasingly viewed as incompatible with international human rights standards, particularly Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates the protection of children from all forms of violence.
UNCRC Article 19 urges protection against all forms of violence towards children. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in General Comment No. 8, stresses that corporal punishment must be prohibited in all settings.
