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The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission wants Parliament to remove lawful and moderate chastisement from the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026.

It warns the provision could legitimise physical violence against children in the name of discipline.

FHRAC Commissioner Alefina Vuki said children must have clear protection from all forms of violence, including physical punishment used as a form of discipline.

Vuki states the provision is difficult to reconcile with other parts of the Bill that protect every person from violence and require the best interests of the child to be the primary consideration.

She adds that a law cannot protect children from violence while allowing certain forms of violence to be used for correction.

The Commission is also pointing to Fiji’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 19 requires states to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence.

Vuki says corporal punishment should not be justified as moderate or reasonable simply because it is used for discipline and that discipline and violence are not the same.

Children, she states need guidance, support, patience and counselling when they do something wrong.

She says positive discipline can set boundaries and correct behaviour without causing harm.

The Commission’s position comes after a video showing a child being physically assaulted by an adult went viral on social media.

The Commission says police are investigating the incident and stresses that the child’s safety, dignity and best interests must come first.

Vuki said the wording of the Constitution matters because it sets the standard for how children are treated at home, in schools and in communities.

The Commission is calling on Parliament and Government to prohibit corporal punishment and remove the reference to lawful and moderate chastisement from Section 40(1)(e) of the Bill.