Category Archives: Corporal punishment

Iranian singer’s 74 lashes for performing without a hijab ‘a form of torture’, say rights groups

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Iranian court upholds sentence against 29-year-old star Parastoo Ahmadi and other musicians in crackdown on women flouting hijab law

An Iranian court’s decision to uphold a sentence of 74 lashes against the popular singer Parastoo Ahmadi for performing without a hijab has sparked outrage among rights groups, who described it as “a form of torture”.

In June, Ahmadi, 29, and eight members of her production team, including musicians, were sentenced by a court in the city of Qom over a concert that was streamed online in 2024, which went viral and racked up millions of views. The court said the group had violated the country’s “legal and cultural norms” and called the performance “obscene and vulgar”.

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Children hit by parents more likely to bully others, research finds

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The UCL study also found physically punished children were more likely to struggle in school

Children smacked by their parents struggle to get good exam results and are more likely to bully others, causing a negative impact on society, according to new research calling for smacking to be banned.

The study by University College London (UCL) found that children in England who were physically punished at the ages of three, five and seven were significantly less likely to pass GCSE exams compared with other children, even after factors such as family background were taken into account.

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Singapore introduces caning for boys who bully others at school

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Under new guidelines caning will only be used in schools for male students aged nine and above

Male school students who bully others, including through cyberbullying, will face caning as a “last resort” under new guidelines introduced in Singapore.

Male students can face up to three strokes of the cane under the new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday.

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Irish school abuse inquiry should cover ‘leathering’, survivors say

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Former pupils of Catholic schools say corporal punishment was ‘hourly occurence’ in 60s and 70s

The Irish government has been urged to extend the scope of a statutory inquiry into historical child abuse in schools to include corporal punishment, including a practice known as “leathering”.

Survivors of physical assault in Catholic schools have complained they were told there was no scope to include corporal punishment in an investigation into sexual abuse, announced in September.

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Ban smacking in England now, says children’s commissioner

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Rachel de Souza makes strongest intervention yet as three relatives go on trial for murder of Sara Sharif, the 10-year-old who allegedly suffered two years of abuse by her father

Ministers must ban smacking now, the children’s commissioner for England has said, in her strongest intervention yet on child safety.

Rachel de Souza said that banning smacking was “a necessary step” to keep children safe, and that bans in Scotland and Wales had “taught us we need to take that step in England too”, adding “now is the time to go further”.

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Reports to NSPCC helpline of physical punishment of children triple in year

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Charity says rise ‘hugely concerning’ and calls for change in law in England and Northern Ireland in line with rest of UK

Concerns raised to the NSPCC helpline about children being physically punished have more than tripled in a year, the charity has said.

Helpline staff heard about children being hit, slapped and shaken, with 45% of the concerns raised requiring a referral to social services, the police or other agencies.

The NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000.

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