No kidding. The World Report on Violence Against Children, written by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro in 2006, cited corporal punishment as a form of cruel and degrading treatment of children and identified it as one of “the hidden dimensions of violence against children that persist due to prevailing social acceptance of violence when it is described or disguised as discipline.”

No kidding. A 2005 survey by Save the Children Sweden in the Philippines revealed that 85% of Filipino children are being punished at home, 82% of whom said they have been hit on different parts of the body.

No kidding. In areas covered by the UNICEF Philippines, 3.6 million women admitted to have used psychological or physical punishment as a form of discipline, 13% of whom admitted to have used some severe punishment on their children (2006).

No kidding. In a perception survey conducted by Pulse Asia in 2011, 2 out of 3 parents admitted to using corporal punishment as a form of "discipline" on their children.

No kidding. In a 2011 study by the European Union and Plan International, 82% of children in urban and rural areas in the Philippines said they experienced at least one form of corporal punishment in their homes, with spanking on the bottom being the most common method used.

Corporal punishment is a violation of children's rights.

It violates children’s physical integrity, human dignity and equal protection under the law.
It can cause serious physical and psychological harm.
It teaches children that violence is an acceptable and appropriate strategy for resolving conflict or getting people to do what they want.

Since there is no explicit legal prohibition on the use of corporal punishment, it is considered legitimate making children prone to attacks in a place where they are supposed to be the safest -- at home.

The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) recommends that all states including the Philippines implement a law prohibiting all forms of corporal punishment in schools, private and public institutions, the juvenile justice system, the alternative care system and the home.

While the House of Representatives has passed the Positive Discipline and Anti-Corporal Punishment Act (House Bill 4455) last year, the Senate is yet to pass its counterpart bill (e.g., Senate Bill 873).

No Kidding. The Positive Discipline and Anti-Corporal Punishment Bill promotes a positive and non-violent approach to parenting that:
- teaches children and guides their behavior while respecting their rights to healthy development, protection from violence and participation in learning;
- develops children's discipline and life-long skills;
- develops children's positive communication and attention skills; and
- provides them with opportunities to evaluate the choices they make.

We, child rights advocates, launch this signature campaign to push for enactment of a law to promote positive discipline and ban all forms of corporal and humiliating or degrading punishment before the end of the 15th Congress.

This campaign strives to gather 12,000 signatures from all over the country until December 12, 2012 (12K on 12.12.12) and shall be submitted to the Senate before the adjournment of session on December 21, 2012.

The harm inflicted on children especially in places where they are supposed to be the safest is no laughing matter and the passage of this bill is as serious as it gets.