The Japanese government on Tuesday approved a plan to legally ban parents and other guardians from physically punishing children following fatal cases of abuse conducted in the name of disciplining them. The government is aiming to pass a bill to revise the child abuse prevention law and related legislation during…
The Japanese government on Tuesday approved a plan to legally ban parents and other guardians from physically punishing children following fatal cases of abuse conducted in the name of disciplining them.
The government is aiming to pass a bill to revise the child abuse prevention law and related legislation during the ongoing parliamentary session and put most of the amended laws into force in April next year. There will be no penalties for offenders, however.
“It is the responsibility of all adults to protect the lives of children. We are going to powerfully and swiftly work (to take steps to prevent child abuse),” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a gathering prior to endorsing the bill at a cabinet meeting.
Under the envisioned changes, parents, foster parents and welfare workers would be prohibited from physically punishing children as a means of discipline.
The current child abuse prevention law stipulates that assault and lewd acts constitute abuse.
