Repealing Section 59 Protects Youth from Violence

National youth development organisation Youthline support the repeal of Section 59 and say this is positive step towards changing attitudes to young people and discipline in New Zealand.

“The repeal of section 59 creates an opportunity to address instances where adults have overstepped the mark by beating a child with belts or implements,” says Youthline national spokesperson Stephen Bell.

“This kind of behaviour not only causes physical damage to the young person but can have long term psychological effects and continue a cycle of violence into the future.”

Youthline, he says, support parents to take their responsibility and authority seriously through positive parenting practices that respect the safety of young people and encourage parents to be empowered.

“Too many of the young people we work with are missing the input of a responsible, caring and available adult.”
Bell says Youthline is also concerned with the way the repeal has been misrepresented by some groups.

“The repeal is not about taking away parent's rights to set boundaries or about criminalizing parents, but about protecting our young people from violence and abuse.”

 

Youthline have a number of people trained to support parents and provide a range of parenting resources on their website, www.youthline.co.nz .