Civil Law

Running head: CIVIL LAW
Civil Law
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CIVIL LAW
Here the issue involved is whether or not reasonable parental physical violence is
applicable in law in Fiji. Another issue is whether or not the laws relating to reasonable
parental physical violence is effective or does the legislature needs to amend it for the
betterment of the citizens of the country Fiji.
The rule involved in this matter stated in Article 19 of the Convention of Rights of
Child. It is stated that all kinds of measures like the administrative, legal, social, educational
measures must be taken to protect a child from all types of physical as well as mental
violence, abuse, injury, neglect, exploitation, and sexual abuse, maltreatment while the child
is under the supervision of his parents or legal guardian. Here the child must be taken care of
and must be protected from any kind of mental or physical torture. Administrative measure
includes actions to stop child abuse. The laws of the country should be strong enough to
protect a child from any kind of harassment. It is also the responsibility of the society to
protect a child. A child must be thoroughly educated so that he can understand the abuse
happening to him as then proper steps must be taken to stop it.
Here, the mother of a fourteen years old girl has been charged with assault because of
whipping her daughter as she was caught by her mother for kissing a boy. In Fiji whipping a
child is a quiet common custom. People believe “children should be seen and not hear”. From
the mother’s point of view she is correct in whipping her child as it is common there. The
reason for whipping is also correct from the mother’s point of view as she caught her child
kissing a boy. Any mother would have done that. It was also been stated by the mother that
whipping the child was for the own good of the child to correct her and also to stop her from
getting physically involved with the boy and thereby to stop her daughter from getting
pregnant. Even the girl did not suffer much injury because of the whipping. From the social