HB 00682

An Act Prohibiting and Penalizing Corporal Punishment on Children, amending for

the purpose RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination Act)

Short Title: The Anti-Corporal Punishment Law of 1997

• This bill added Corporal Punishment in Section 3(definition of terms) of RA
7610. This serves as an amendment to RA 7610 which provides for special
protection for children against all forms of abuse enumerated as physical,
emotional, psychological, sexual, economic abuse and/or neglect. Included also in
RA 7610 is a comprehensive program protecting children from prostitution,
trafficking and obscene publications. It also provides protection for working
children, children of Indigenous Peoples, children in armed conflict and other
forms of abuse. This bill intends to add Corporal Punishment as another form of
abuse which is maltreatment that is suffered by children under persons/institutions
who is supposed to provide care and support for them.
• Corporal Punishment is defined as the infliction of physical or mental violence
or blows upon a child as a form of punishment or chastisement including:
1. public humiliation
2. verbal abuse
3. other forms of punishment considered abusive, degrading and not
consistent with the child’s human dignity considering his/her physical and
mental immaturity
• The offenders are as follows:
1. parent or ascendant
2. teacher (who is teaching in the same school where the child is enrolled)
3. school employees and officials whether occupying teaching positions or
not
4. guardians
• Penalties depend on the gravity of the injury the child has suffered:
Prision mayor (max)-Reclusion Temporal (min): the child became insane,
imbecile or blind
Prision mayor (med)-Prision mayor (max): deaf, mute, loss of capacity to smell,
loss of a part of body
Prision Correcional (max)-Prision Mayor (min): deformation, loss of body part,
become ill or physically incapacitated for more than 90 days
Prision Correcional (med) –Prision Correcional (max): similar situation as above
but for more than 30 days
Prision Correcional (min)-Prision Correcional (min): for 10-30 days of incapacity
Arresto Mayor (max)-Prision Correcional (min): 1-9 days of incapacity
Arresto Mayor (min)-Arresto Mayor (med)- if the corporal punishment does not
cause any physical or mental injury
• If the child is below 12-the penalty imposed will be the maximum penalty. If the
child is below 7-the penalty imposed will be one degree higher.