Ban corporal punishment in schools, Unicef urges M’sia after boy’s death
KUALA LUMPUR – The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) is urging Malaysia to ban corporal punishment in schools, a day after the death of an 11-year-old boy who was allegedly abused at a religious school.
Corporal punishment and violence as a form of discipline have negative consequences, said Unicef. Photo: The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR – The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) is urging Malaysia to ban corporal punishment in schools, a day after the death of an 11-year-old boy who was allegedly abused at a religious school.
The boy died on Wednesday (April 27), just days after both his legs were amputated due to a bacterial infection after he was allegedly whipped with a water hose at a private Islamic boarding school last month.
Police have detained the assistant warden, who allegedly whipped the boy and several others as punishment.
The Unicef representative in Malaysia, Ms Marianne Clark-Hattingh, said on Thursday (April 27) that corporal punishment is the preferred form of discipline for children in Malaysia.
She said the boy’s death was a ``stark reminder of the negative consequences of corporal punishment and violence as a form of discipline”. ASSOCIATED PRESS