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A child's right for protection from violence
21 JUNE 2007
A child's right for protection from violence now law
From tomorrow the use of force for the purposes of correction will no longer be lawful with the introduction of the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act.
Save the Children sees the Act as a significant step forward in addressing the issue of child rights in the protection of New Zealand's children. However legislation is only one part of the picture - changes are needed in social attitudes and behaviours towards children.
"The debate around the Act has presented some disturbing attitudes towards children and highlighted the fact that there is still a long way to go in shifting people's attitudes towards children so that they are seen as human beings in their own right, " says John Bowis, Executive Director of Save the Children New Zealand.
An important aspect of the new law will be monitoring the impact of changing social attitudes and behaviours to ensure that change is taking place.
"Changing social attitudes and behaviors are what this is all about. As a nation we must understand that violence towards our children is not acceptable. Children have the right to be protected and to feel safe. As a society we need to learn to respect and value each child," says John Bowis.
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