“End Corporal Punishment” request two schoolchildren

The International Day to End Corporal Punishment falls on April 30, 2026

Two schoolchildren, 11-years-old Sahil and 10-years-old Shashyanu are vehemently opposed to corporal punishment, and met the Minister of Women and Child Affairs Savithri Paulraj last year on the International Day to end corporal punishment to advocate ending it. Despite a cordial encounter, the children were very disappointed when, later last year, legal reforms to end corporal punishment in Sri Lanka stalled. But recently, they were happy to learn that the Education Ministry had informed schools that corporal punishment in schools is now prohibited. But they still remain disappointed because that circular is ambiguous – it states “perpetrators will be dealt with in terms of the law”. But these children know that the law has loopholes.

After exploring what they could do about it, they decided to write an open letter to the Minister. This is their letter:

30th April, 2026

Dear Minister Paulraj,

We hope you remember us. We came to meet you on February 28th, 2025 with the Child Protection Alliance to talk about ending corporal punishment in schools in Sri Lanka. This is the photo we took on that day.

You assured us that protecting children was a priority for your government. At the beginning of this month, we were happy to hear that the Education Ministry issued circular 11/2026 informing schools that corporal punishment is banned.

The circular also said that anyone who uses corporal punishment on children will be dealt in terms of the law. But the law has loopholes in it. That’s why we asked, when we met you, for the law to be changed. Unless the law is changed, the circular alone won’t protect children in schools.

At the First Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children in Bogota in November 2024, Sri Lanka made 4 promises. Two of them were to ban corporal punishment by law, and to create safer schools by training teachers on positive discipline, both by mid-2025. These are published on the website of your Ministry. 

We are disappointed that our friends are still suffering in schools because these promises have not been kept. The World Health Organisation published a report in August 2025 on the short-term and long-term consequences of corporal punishment. We believe you will agree with us, that it is not fair for our friends to continue to face the risk of these consequences.

Banning corporal punishment will make a huge impact to the society of Sri Lanka, for generations to come. It is our hope that no child will ever have to face being hit, injured, or hurt in any other way. 

Because the two of us are safe from corporal punishment, we can talk openly about it. But we know, from friends and family, that most children are afraid to speak about it. So, on behalf of all children in Sri Lanka, we urge you to make the promises made in 2024 come true.

Thank you,

Sahil Manan (11 years old) and Shashyanu Deeghayu Munasinghe (10 years old)