They say it takes a village to raise a child, but if the village believes in not sparing the rod, may God help that child. Much to the delight of countless children suffering from horrific abuse as a way of instilling discipline, the National Assembly passed a historic bill on Tuesday. In a rare show of unity, MNAs from all parts of the spectrum joined in to set out penalties for anyone inflicting all forms of physical punishments “however light” at all types of workplaces, child care and educational institutions. Finally, a step forward for the state on track to deliver its constitutional promise of protecting its children. The win is worthy of great celebration from activists and society alike because it has not come easy. Despite Pakistan being one of the first countries in the world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as early as 1990, there remained no clear-cut policy that outlawed the practice of corporal punishment. The sheer lack of checks has allowed teachers and employers a relatively free hand when it comes to getting the job done. May it be physical lashing out at children or subjecting them to public ridicule, they are well aware that no one is keeping tabs on their actions. Therefore, the ICT bill is even more crucial to the conversation because it would cancel out the “good faith” provision previously included in Section 89 of the Pakistan Penal Code that gave some leeway to teachers and guardians “for the benefit” of the child. A mere glimpse at the horrific examples of corporal punishment in recent years is enough to rattle any administration to action. Last year, a barbaric video of a five-year-old beaten to death at a Pindi-Bhattian madrassah took the entire country by storm. A 10th grader lost his life to injuries sustained at the hands of his teacher in 2019. A year before, a nine-year-old madrassah student was bludgeoned to death in Karachi. And these are the few episodes that made it to mainstream media. Innumerable more occur daily in matchbox-like schools that pepper streets all across Pakistan. What should be kept in mind while drawing out remedial measures for the much-talked-about bill is that teachers–and guardians for that matter– are not sufficiently trained in effectively doing their job. The glaring dearth of understanding when it comes to a child’s psychology and behaviour is appalling, to say the least. Unable to see the desired results (academically or behaviorally), adults show no restraint in abusing their power merely out of frustration. While the detrimental impacts of violence on the self-esteem and social development of children have long been acknowledged, our society, unfortunately, continues defending a practice that is counterproductive, ineffective, dangerous and harmful to children. As per Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child, one of the main reasons for high drop-out rates and runaway children was this culturally accepted form of child abuse. After going through the famously savage beatings for several years, many renowned Etonians went down in history as politicians who brutalised the world for power. If what went on at such a prestigious school does not serve as a perfect course to avoid, ascertaining what will is a very hard nut to crack! *