救助儿童会

October 19^th, 2009 is the fourth Save the Children’s Global Day of Action against Violence against Children. China Programme observes the date with a series of activities,calling for ending all forms of corporal punishment to children in China.

A press conference was held in Beijing to discuss the role media can play in raising the public and parenets’ awareness to protect children,as well as in advocating for policy change and legal reform in this field.

20 October 2009, Beijing – A press conference opposing all forms of corporal punishment against children was held by the Save the Children China Programme at the Sequoia Cafe on Beijing’s Guanghua Road. Reporters from national newspapers, magazines and online media and three child rights experts took part in discussions on the topic “children and corporal punishment”.

In 2006, the International Save the Children Alliance selected October 19 as the “Global Day of Action against Violence against Children”. This year, the fourth global day, also centred on the topic, “violence harms children”, advocating ending all forms of corporal punishment against children.

Whilst smacking and other kinds of physical punishment were considered common practise under traditional Chinese education principles, according to  General Comment number eight on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Children, corporal punishment or punishment to the body is any form of punishment that uses force and which causes pain or discomfort, no matter what degree.

At the press conference, Regional Child Protection Advisor for Save the Children Sweden, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, Mr Dominique Pierre Plateau, and world renown child rights advocate, Coordinator of Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment, Mr Peter Newell, discussed the latest advancements in the global prohibition of corporal punishment against children. Save the Children China Program Policy and Communications Director, Ms Li Ping also shared the experience of Save the Children in the field of child protection. A call was also made for legislation to eradicate corporal punishment against children, promoting education without violence and by positive discipline.

Other activities also include a seminar at China Youth University for Political Sciences in which the two experts met with Chinese scholars on Oct.21st and  meetings with government officials from China Youth League and Beijing Children’s Legal Aid and Research Centre, a well-established NGO.

The series of activities is also China Programme’s response to the Child Protection Initiative from 2010-2015, led by Save the Children Sweden.

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