Child Protection sector of Save the Children in Bangladesh organized a workshop titled ‘Promoting and Achieving Law Reform to Prohibit All Corporal Punishment of Children in Bangladesh’ during 7-9 June, 2016 at the country office.
The workshop was participated by staff from Child Protection, Education, and Policy, Rights and Governance and Program Development and Quality along with staff from partner NGOs. In addition, a selected group of journalists of English and Bangla dailies joined the workshop on the first day to develop an understanding on the importance of legal reform on corporal punishment so that they are able to mobilize public view in favor of the move to end the age old cultural practice happening in the name of ‘child discipline’.
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Sharon Owen (Coordinator, Global Initiative to End Corporal Punishment of Children) and Dominique Pierre Plateau (Asia Representative, Child Protection Initiative, Save the Children). During the workshop participants were able to learn about the progress made at the global and regional level to ban corporal punishment in all settings, and got an update on the situation in Bangladesh. They also could enhance their knowledge on arguing in favour of the legal reform.
The Facilitators also shared lessons learnt from other countries regarding law reform on corporal punishment. Through group work the participants drafted a strategy to ban corporal punishment in all settings in Bangladesh, which will be finalized after thorough review by the Child Protection team and incorporating feedback of the Facilitators. Save the Children plans to form a Coalition of interested NGOs to continue advocacy on banning corporal punishment in all settings; this will contribute to achieving organizational breakthrough “violence against children is no longer tolerated.’
