WAYS TO IMPLEMENT A POSITIVE DISCIPLINE APPROACH:
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND AWARENESS-RAISING
“
In rejecting any justification of violence and humiliation as forms of punishment for children, the
Committee is not in any sense rejecting the positive concept of discipline. The healthy development
of children depends on parents and other adults for necessary guidance and direction, in line
with children’s evolving capacities, to assist their growth towards responsible life in society.”
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No 8 on the right of the child to protection from corporal
punishment and other cruel or degrading forms of punishment, para 13.
Educating society about the negative effects of corporal punishment through awareness-raising campaigns and
programmes will facilitate inform society on non-violent alternatives to disciplining children. These campaigns
and programmes should aim to support and guide parents, caregivers and teachers to use a positive approach to
discipline children.
Costa Rica: Cooperation of the Government and CSOs to eradicate corporal punishment
In 2008, Costa Rica legally banned corporal punishment in all settings by introducing the Law on the Rights
of Children and Adolescents to Discipline Free from Corporal Punishment and Other Forms of Humiliating
Treatment. The duty to promote non-violent discipline and recognition of children as full right-holders is further
reflected in the National Policy for Childhood and Adolescence of Costa Rica. The Government and CSOs are
cooperating on implementing the law and policy, through a strategic alliance between the Ministry of Health and a
number of organisations. The purpose of the alliance is to implement the “Niñez Ciudadana” (Citizen’s Childhood)
programme, which seeks to develop skills of teachers in the use of positive discipline in early childhood; and the
“Somos Familia” (We are Family) programme, which provides support to families on discipline without violence
so that children can develop their capacities in a healthy environment. In the latter programme, families receive
an updated information guide, material and strategies, as well as daily activities to forge secure attachment and
therefore, a strong emotional bond with their children.
Jamaica: Child development principles and public awareness
The Ministry of Education, together with UNICEF, published “Strictly positive” in 2011, a resource guide based
on child development principles, intended to train school staff to create and maintain environments that support
positive discipline in schools. The Government aligned this training with a public educational campaign based
on positive discipline methodology messages with the aim of educating the entire population on alternatives to
corporal punishment. In 2012, corporal punishment was prohibited in early childhood centres. The Jamaican
Government is taking steps to broaden the ban to other settings.
Japan: Guidelines from the Government on positive discipline
The prohibition of corporal punishment came into force on 1 April 2020, via an amendment to the Child Abuse
Prevention Law and the Child Welfare Act in 2019. In the same year, a resolution was also adopted stating that
the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare would develop guidelines on the scope of the amendments, commit to
raise awareness of the harmful effects of corporal punishment and provide parents with information on positive
discipline. The guidelines were published on 20 February 2020 by the Committee on the Promotion of Parenting
without Corporal Punishment.
TOOL: Positive Discipline and Alternatives to Corporal Punishment of Children
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