On Thursday, the Kashmir division’s School Education Department issued a ban on all types of physical punishment and child abuse in schools in the Kashmir region.
According to a directive issued by the Director of School Education in Kashmir, reports from IMHANS-K indicate that children attending school are experiencing an increase in mental health problems as a direct consequence of their exposure to physical punishment.
The ruling states that the harmful effects of physical punishment not only impede the children’s learning and development but also create an atmosphere of fear and animosity in schools.
“Parents and the department are worried about how corporal punishment will affect their child’s mental health.”
In addition, it stated that any employee or manager of a company responsible for the care and protection of children would face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to Rs five lakh if they were found guilty of assaulting, abusing, exposing, or neglecting a child in a way that caused physical or mental suffering.
Because of the cruelty, “incarceration may extend up to ten years if the child is physically incapacitated or develops a mental illness or is rendered mentally unfit to perform regular tasks or has risk to life or limb,” it says. (KNO)
