The Constitutional Court has ruled that it is illegal for parents to spank their children at home today. This comes after the High Court handed down a judgement in 2017 after a father was convicted of assaulting his 13-year-old son.
The highest court in the land upheld an earlier ruling by the High Court to do away with the common-law defence of reasonable chastisement when spanking a child. This comes at a time when violence against women and children has been a burning issue in SA.
SEE SUMMARY OF THE JUDGEMENT:
Judgment: The vulnerability of children, their rights to dignity and to have the paramountcy of their best interests upheld, as well as the availability of less restrictive means to achieve discipline, render moderate and reasonable chastisement unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/UE2KcypLYa
— Constitutional Court (@ConCourtSA) September 18, 2019
