The Ministry of National Education (MENFP) says it is deeply alarmed and shocked by a video that has gone viral on social networks in which a child is violently beaten by a parent within a school; he deplores and condemns the corporal punishment long banned in the education system and prohibited by the Law of October 1, 2001, which stipulates very clearly in article 1 that "inhuman treatment of any kind whatsoever there is including corporal punishment against children is prohibited".

The Ministry calls for the responsibility of parents, school directors, teachers and all stakeholders for the full application of this legal provision aimed at protecting the child and respecting his dignity as a human being.

The MENFP recalls that all the studies around the world on the use of physical violence against children as a form of punishment have demonstrated the negative impacts for the harmonious development of the child and his well-being. In this sense, the ministry encourages parents to prioritize a firm but benevolent and positive disciplinary approach towards the child allowing his progress without violence.

The Ministry invites all actors and partners to get involved and "to engage in this fight against all forms of violence in order to eliminate these intolerable and unacceptable practices against our children. The society which will allow the development of our children and which respects human rights cannot be built in violence."

HL/ HaitiLibre