The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has renewed its call on the Jamaican Government to ban the beating of children after news broke that a four-year-old boy was beaten to death by his stepfather earlier this week.

The call came on Wednesday, the same day that Prime Minister Andrew Holness voiced his support for that brand of punishment against children to be outlawed in Jamaica.

In a release to the media, the fund said it is deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of the child.

“UNICEF is reiterating its call for the Government of Jamaica to ban the use of corporal punishment in all settings, and to promote non-violent forms of discipline.

“Available data speaks clearly to the fact that corporal punishment is prevalent throughout Jamaica. Findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2011 indicate that seven out of 10 Jamaican children under age 15 are subjected to violent punishment at home. The term ‘violent punishment’ includes psychological aggression (shouting etc) and physical punishment,” the release stated.

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