The government and the ruling coalition plan to include a ban on corporal punishment of children by parents in law revisions following a series of recent child maltreatment cases in the name of discipline, sources have said.
The planned law revisions are also aimed at strengthening the authority of child welfare centers to ensure prompt separation of children from abusive parents, the sources said Saturday. Foster parents and welfare workers would also be banned from physically punishing children as a means of discipline.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to approve the revisions in mid-March and enact the legislation during the current Diet session as it looks to strengthen the prevention of child abuse after the recent tragic death of children due to alleged parental mistreatment.