Dengarkan

Dilawar Khan is working as a bus conductor. “I left school a year ago because of corporal punishment," he says. "Our teacher used to beat us with a stick and rubber. I was only 12 years old. Hundreds of children like me are afraid of such physical torture at school. It’s hard to bear such punishment.”

Corporal punishment is a harsh reality for Pakistani school children. But there’s no official data on how many children have become victims.

A recent high-profile case involved Malika, a private school student in Lahore. Her teacher threw a pen at her that went straight into her right eye, permanently blinding her.

And last year, 13-year-old Abdul Mubeen hanged himself at home after being beaten at school. His father, Mohammad Rafiq, believes his teacher should be held to account.

“His teacher beat him twice. It hurt him. On Sunday when he came home, he wrote in his diary before committing suicide. My son holds his teacher responsible for the suicide. I’ve appealed to the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry but we did not get any justice.”

Pakistan’s National Assembly recently passed a bill prohibiting corporal punishment in schools, aimed at protecting the dignity and rights of children. Anyone found guilty could go to jail for a year or pay a 500 US dollars fine.

According to NGO Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, thousands of students drop out each year because of the fear of punishment. And there are more complaints of physical torture in public schools than private schools. Public school teacher Pervez Khan say it’s hard to control the large number of students in each class.

“We’re not in favor of punishment that physically damages the children. But there should be some sort of punishment to make them behave," he admits. "If the government wants to ban the punishment, then we should only teach 40 students in a class, not 100. Students in private schools usually come from elite families. While in public schools, the majority of children are from poor families. They don’t have any guidance on how to behave from their parents.”

And 40-year-old public school teacher Nadia Khan, is against such punishment. 

“There must be some way for students to respect their teachers. Today students don’t respect them. They’re influenced by the media. The concept of respecting your teacher no longer exists. It’s a pity. Parents must teach their children to respect their teachers, to improve their character.”

The 2006 National Child Policy, recognised the right of the child to protection from corporal punishment, but it was not prohibited by law. The new law will hopefully save the lives of Pakistani children.

Baber Khan Yousafzai is Senior Vice President of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association.

“The Corporal Punishment Act 2013 is now implemented across the whole country. Offenders will be punished under the law. The children can get police protection. They can go to a police station and register their case against a teacher.”

10-year-old orphan Musif Khan, has recently been admitted to a public primary school. Although the new law has arrived, he's still afraid of becoming another victim.

“Many children run away from school because of the torture. Children cry out when teachers beat them on their back, head, or other parts of the body. I wish my teacher wouldn’t beat us. If there was no punishment, students would love to study.”