Children's Authority: End corporal punishment

THE Children’s Authority has condemned a viral video circulating on social media that shows a man physically assaulting a young girl with what appears to be a phone charger.

In a media release on October 18, the authority called for an end to corporal punishment and strongly denounced the actions depicted in the video. It said once the video came to their attention, the authority began an investigation and promptly contacted the police service.

Sheldon Cyrus, the director and chief executive officer of the authority, expressed gratitude to the public for highlighting the incident and he said the authority's emergency response team is conducting a thorough investigation, which includes engaging with the child's family and community members in collaboration with the police.

Cyrus urged parents and guardians to reconsider their approach to discipline, emphasising the importance of reinforcing boundaries and expectations of behaviour, rewarding positive actions and administering age-appropriate consequences for undesirable behaviour.

He advised discussions about inappropriate behaviour should be held with children and suggested alternatives such as time-outs or temporarily removing privileges.

Cyrus also cautioned against disciplining children when feeling angry: he suggested parents/guardians take a moment to calm down before addressing unacceptable behaviour.

The release concluded with the Children’s Authority encouraging anyone aware of child abuse to report it immediately to the hotline at 996 or contact the police.