Banning corporal punishment in all settings would help reduce high levels of domestic violence and child abuse 

May 09, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Having read and listened to Guyana’s written submission and oral report at its fourth Universal Periodic review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday May 6, 2025, I write to make two preliminary observations.

First according to Mrs. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN, Guyana rate of adolescent has been reduced. In Guyana’s written report #168 under the heading “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.” pg. (68) it says “Adolescent births declined from 84.2/1000 girls in 2016 to under 48/1000 girls in 2022 following targeted interventions.”  However, according to a PAHO’s article- “Inaugural  Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week  October 18-24, 2020 – Guyana rate of adolescent pregnancy was 90 out of every 1,000 adolescent girls. In The World Bank’s Report ‘Addressing Teenage Pregnancy in Latin America in 2022, Guyana once more exceeded Latin American and the Caribbean’s second highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world at 52 of every 1,000 girls with over 80 adolescent girls out of 1,000 giving birth.

However, it is important to note that in 2022 according to the same World Bank report, Guyana rate of adolescent pregnancy also far exceeded any other Caribbean country with Belize being the second highest at approximately 53/1,000 pregnancies and all other Caribbean Caricom Countries having between 51 to 30+ adolescent pregnancies. The world average is 39.  I have been unable to find any other reference to adolescent pregnancy rates in Guyana. It is clear that adolescent pregnancy continues to be a significant problem affecting Guyana. The discrepancies between data on adolescent pregnancies in Guyana between Guyana’s UPR report and The World Bank 2022 reports are significant. The more important point is that Guyana’s UPR report should have recognized that rates of teenage/adolescent pregnancy are unacceptably high and pose a serious health risk due to not only the physical complication of such pregnancies and deliveries but also the psychological, mental and economic stresses associated with adolescent pregnancies. The need for accurate data collection and dissemination on issues including teenage pregnancies needs to be a prioritised. The source of data used for Guyana’s UPR report should be shared.

Secondly, before the oral presentation by Mrs. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, I downloaded the Government of Guyana’s URP report and found this under the heading “Corporal Punishment- Recommendations 130.48, 132.51, 132.53, 132.54 # 32 The Ministry of Education (MOE) has introduced a policy which prohibits the use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary method in dealing with children in schools……”

 This was subsequently changed and the corrected and updated UPR Report from Guyana now states without any heading – “The Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS) and the Rights of the Child Commission (ROCC) continue to promote positive discipline and alternative forms of discipline, including through ongoing training in schools.

In fact, the 2002 Ministerial Guidelines for the Maintenance of Order and Discipline sets out in detail how corporal punishment is to be administered in schools. According to these guidelines only head teachers, deputy head teachers or designated senior teachers can administer CP for fighting, indecent language, gross insubordination, continued display of unacceptable behaviours or in grave circumstances. Boys are to be hit on their hands or buttocks and girls on their hands. In administering this corporal punishment, the Head Teacher must use either a cane or strap no longer than 24 inches and inflicted CP is to be documented in the Misdemeanours Book on the same day.

In October 2013 a special select committee was established specifically to address issues still not resolved in Guyana’s UPR submission of May 6, 2025, including LGBTI rights, the death penalty and corporal punishment as recommended by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The select committee made up of representatives from all parliamentary political parties met and deliberated for about a year.[i]  At least 12 NGO’s and civil society organizations appeared before the select committee. Eleven (11) of the NGOs and civil society organization were firmly in favour of the abolition of corporal punishment in schools including NGOs such as Red Thread, Childlink, Help & Shelter, the Ursuline sisters, a prominent LGBTI group, student groups, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Justice Institute and others.

Submissions made from State agencies and Ministries, recorded in the minutes of the select committee, were also predominately in favour of the abolition of corporal punishment in schools including the Rights of the Child Commission, the Childcare & Protection Agency, representatives from the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport and the New Opportunity Corps (a juvenile detention centre), Ministry of Health, The Women’s Progressive Organization and the AFC. State agencies who did not agree with prohibition of corporal punishment included the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service. Both the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers Union made presentations, but these were unavailable in select committee minutes.

Research and documentation on the negative effects of corporal punishment on children, family and society and why it should be banned, testimonies by parents and teachers on the use of corporal punishment and recommendations on alternative forms of punishment and positive non- violent discipline were all shared at PSSC hearings. NGO’s who worked extensively in schools, with teachers and parents confirmed that corporal punishment as a method of punishment or discipline is not effective. Time frames for the phasing out of corporal punishment in schools were also discussed by the PSSC.

Despite all of this, it is impossible to find a report from this select committee in the parliamentary records library or anywhere in the public domain. Neither is there any record of a vote being taken in parliament on the abolition of corporal punishment in schools even though select committee members stressed to those making presentations that it was the Parliament of Guyana who would have the final say.

In spite of there being no select committee report anywhere to be found. At Guyana’s Universal Periodic Review in 2015 the Government reported that based on consultations by the (PSSC) there was no general consensus in civil society or in the PSSC on the way forward thus far. This did not seem evident from the minutes of the PSSC, Government also said that further consultations were to be held in 2016. Ten years later we see this issue unresolved even though all evidence shows corporal punishment violates children’s rights, causes physical and psychological harm, is ineffective as a disciplinary tool, and teaches that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. Banning corporal punishment in all settings, teaching and inculcating alternative ways of solving conflicts would be an important element towards reducing and eliminating Guyana’s high levels of domestic violence and child abuse.

Sincerely

Danuta Radzik

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