ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's parliament has passed a bill prohibiting the corporal punishment of children.
The bill was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on March 12.
It states that the infliction of corporal punishment on a child is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and/or a fine up to 50,000 rupees ($507).
The bill also says that the punishment would be in addition to any others under existing laws in connection with the infliction of pain or injury.
The issue of corporal punishment of children in Pakistan was highlighted by a television program that prompted resolutions by regional parliaments in Pakistan's eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces.
To become a national law, the bill must also be passed by the Pakistani Senate and then signed by the country's president.
The bill was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on March 12.
It states that the infliction of corporal punishment on a child is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and/or a fine up to 50,000 rupees ($507).
The bill also says that the punishment would be in addition to any others under existing laws in connection with the infliction of pain or injury.
The issue of corporal punishment of children in Pakistan was highlighted by a television program that prompted resolutions by regional parliaments in Pakistan's eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces.
To become a national law, the bill must also be passed by the Pakistani Senate and then signed by the country's president.
