Latest news with #corporalpunishment
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Former Christian school director found guilty of assault with a weapon
A former private Christian school director has been found guilty on all nine charges of assault with a weapon. During her two-hour decision, Justice Lisa Watson found John Olubobokun, 65, hit students with a wooden paddle while he was a director at Christian Centre Academy from 2003 - 2007. The school has since changed names twice, first to Legacy Christian Academy, and is now known as Valour Academy. Olubobokun's trial began in June 2024 with nine former students testifying that he hit them with a wooden paddle. The trial then resumed in March with testimony from defence witnesses including Olubobokun himself. During his testimony, he denied paddling any students. He agreed paddling was part of the disciplinary process, but said it was carried out by the principal. He testified wooden paddles were removed from the school in 2004, following a Supreme Court ruling that banned corporal punishment. In her decision, Watson said she found Olubobokun was not credible, citing several inconsistencies in his testimony. She also found he changed demeanour during his testimony and was evasive in cross examination. Watson believed paddles continued to be used in the school following the supreme court ruling. She found the crown's witnesses credible and believed all nine students were hit with a wooden paddle. Former student Caitlin Erickson said hearing the verdict was validating. A sentencing date has yet to be set.
ABC News
16-07-2025
- ABC News
Class action planned over alleged 'serious physical abuse' at Hobart's St Virgil's College in the 1970s and 80s
When Simon* was a student at a Catholic boys' school in Hobart in the 1970s, he says the school was run in an "archaic, cruel" manner. He said one of the teachers had a name for the strap that he would use to hit students. "He used to call it Horace, and he used to have a little rhyme he used to recite as he strapped you," Simon said. "It used to be: 'Horace hit his head with a hard, hard hammer and it hurt horribly'. "And he'd just go faster and faster and faster, and harder, until he'd just lose his way and then he'd give up." The school was St Virgil's College, which, until the late 1980s or early 1990s, was run by the Christian Brothers. "It was almost like every day they were trying to find excuses to strap people, to have their own little moment." During a civil trial in the Supreme Court in Hobart in March, another man alleged he was sexually and physically abused while a student at St Virgil's in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Christian Brothers offered a settlement part way through the trial, which was accepted by the man, and the trial was aborted. Several former St Virgil's students gave evidence during the trial about alleged harsh corporal punishment at the school at the time. The man's lawyer, Bruce McTaggart SC, also told the court of a "culture of fear" at the school at the time. He told the court St Virgil's had a room known among students and staff as the "crying room", where corporal punishment was administered. Lawyer Angela Sdrinis, director of Angela Sdrinis Legal, said that after the trial, several former students who had either experienced or witnessed alleged serious physical abuse sought advice about whether they might also have a viable claim against the Christian Brothers. "As a result of all of that and further people coming forward, we are looking at pursuing a class action in relation to the physical abuse which allegedly occurred at the school," Ms Sdrinis said. It is expected that a class action would include allegations from the 1970s and 1980s. Solicitor at Angela Sdrinis Legal, Ellen FitzGerald, said the Christian Brothers started to leave the school, or were pulled out, towards the late 1980s, "and things seemed to have improved". "But certainly the culture was one of violence and fear from at least the 60s onwards," Ms FitzGerald said. So far, 10 people, including Simon, have come forward with allegations. "We're collecting records, we've got a team of barristers who we've retained to work on the class action," Ms Sdrinis said. "There's a bit more information that we need to obtain, but other than that, we should be ready to go potentially by the end of the year, but certainly early next year." The action would be filed with the Supreme Court in Hobart. Simon said the corporal punishment he was subjected to affected his education and his career trajectory. "I was a very astute, academic-type student right through my early years, right from year 9 and going into year 10, [I] wanted to be an engineer, already planning university, my parents were already putting plans into place for that because my dad was very proud of wanting me to go to uni," he said. But he said the way he was treated led to a strong dislike of his teachers and, ultimately, to him losing interest in his schooling. "When it culminated in me getting expelled in year 11, I just fell out of school and ended up going through the trade lines for many years," he said. Later in life, Simon went to university and earned a diploma and then a bachelor's degree. He said he wanted the Christian Brothers organisation held accountable for the actions of some of their brothers and the lay teachers they employed, many of whom have since died. "The majority of these people are not able to be personally reprimanded for their actions, but they were operating under the umbrella of the Christian Brothers. "So, that umbrella ultimately has the responsibility for their actions … I want the general public to know what a lot of students, as well as myself, went through for this period and how it affected us. Simon said he was also speaking out on behalf of others who were not able to. "I've spoken to two past students in particular who I knew were treated much worse than I and, as much as they would like to come forward, they just can't because their mind is so traumatised by it all, they just can't re-live it." In 2018, Tasmania removed the time limit for bringing claims of child sexual abuse or "serious" physical abuse of a child. "It will be about this distinction between physical abuse and serious physical abuse," Ms Sdrinis said. The ABC asked the Christian Brothers Oceania Province if it wished to make any comment about "allegations of serious physical abuse relating to corporal punishment at [St Virgil's] in the 1970s and 80s". A spokesperson said: "The Christian Brothers Oceania Province has not been provided with any specific detail of what is alleged except that no claim has been filed with any court, and consequently, we are unable to comment." *Name has been changed.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Sexual abuse in schools inquiry
Sir, –This week the Minister for Education Helen McEntee announced the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into sexual abuse in all day and boarding schools. I attended Willow Park and Blackrock College as a boarder in the 1960s. Sadly, I experienced many years of physical and mental abuse. It is very disappointing that the dreadful abuse of corporal punishment, suffered by so many in this country, has not been included in this investigation. Any kind of abuse, be it sexual or otherwise, leaves dreadful lifelong scars, and stays with victims for the rest of their lives. – Yours, etc, BRIAN McDEVITT, READ MORE Glenties, Co Donegal.
CNA
23-06-2025
- CNA
Commentary: Child abuse is harder to spot than we think
SINGAPORE: From Umaisyah and Megan Khung to the unnamed boy who was caged and scalded to death, several high-profile child abuse cases in recent years have captured public attention, not only for their severity, but for how long the harm went undetected. Each time, the same questions echo: How could so many eyes miss the signs? Why didn't someone step in sooner? The uncomfortable truth is that most abuse doesn't look the way we expect. It is rarely loud or dramatic. More often, it hides in silence, in carefully rehearsed responses, or in small changes in behaviour. When tragedy unfolds, the public reflex is to ask who failed to act. No one intends to overlook signs of harm. Child protection is more complex than that – it is a field shaped by ambiguity, judgment calls, and the difficult task of seeing what isn't always visible. THE GREY AREAS OF HARM The Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) defines ill-treatment as the infliction of 'unnecessary' physical or emotional harm. But what qualifies as 'unnecessary' in parenting? And who decides when a line has been crossed? These are real challenges for those on the ground – even when there are 'red flags' deemed to be obvious when abuse cases make the news. While the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) encourages non-physical forms of discipline, there is no legislation in Singapore that explicitly prohibits parents from using corporal punishment at home. In some households across Singapore and Asia, corporal punishment such as caning is still sometimes seen as an acceptable form of discipline. The ambiguity leaves room for differing interpretations of where discipline ends and abuse begins. Teachers, neighbours, healthcare workers and social service professionals may grapple with doubt – wondering whether what they've observed is serious enough to report, or whether stepping in might cause more harm than good. ABUSE RARELY ANNOUNCES ITSELF Child abuse is seldom a single, explosive event. More often, it unfolds gradually – a sustained pattern that chips away at a child's sense of safety and self-worth. I recall a case that a colleague once shared involving a teenage girl living in a children's home. She would return to her family on weekends without incident. There were no bruises and no visible signs of distress. But when her mother requested an extended home stay, the girl panicked and called the staff in tears, overwhelmed and afraid. What followed was the uncovering of a troubling pattern of coercive control: Her mother had been demanding her part-time wages, coaching her on what to say to professionals, and threatening to cut off outings with friends or visits with her father and siblings. There was no dramatic event, just a quiet erosion of her autonomy and sense of safety. The absence of clear warning signs delayed the recognition of what was happening. THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT Child protection work relies on professional judgment, but not in isolation. It requires training, clinical supervision and agency support. There must be an organisational culture that recognises the weight and complexity of these decisions, and strong internal structures and processes to support the work that comes after the judgment call is made. Tools such as the Safe and Strong Support Guide and the Child Abuse Reporting Guide offer some clarity on when to report. But no checklist can replace the practice-honed skill of attentive listening and contextual understanding of what is said and unsaid. For instance, a child who does not say they are uncomfortable but appears to avoid physical contact with an adult might need to be interviewed individually to find out what the relationships are like in the family. Even with these tools in hand, two professionals may reach different conclusions on when to report – not because one is wrong, but because each is interpreting a complex situation based on what information is known at the time. A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Abuse thrives in secrecy, and perpetrators are highly adept at concealing, manipulating or deflecting scrutiny. We saw this in Umaisyah's tragic story: Her parents had managed to hide her death for years, by lying about her whereabouts or about the number of children they had. That is why child protection must be a shared responsibility. Families, neighbours, teachers, healthcare providers, social service professionals, and members of the public – no one sees the full picture, but together, we can connect the dots. The public needs to know that it's okay to raise a concern, even if they're unsure. Many people worry about being wrong, overstepping, or offending someone. But the threshold for speaking up shouldn't be certainty – it should be concern. A question or observation could be the very clue that enables earlier and safer intervention. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO DO BETTER? When abuse occurs, the responsibility lies first and foremost with the perpetrators. But these recent cases rightfully stir deep concern, and we must always ask: How can we strengthen the systems meant to protect children? We must be willing to examine what's working, what isn't, and where the gaps lie. For social service agencies, this means committing to ongoing training, establishing clear protocols for handling cases, and addressing the barriers that hinder detection, intervention, monitoring and collaboration. Beyond procedures, all parties involved in the child's well-being must find ways to overcome their organisational barriers. But strengthening the system cannot rely on internal efforts alone. Are we making it easier – or harder – to work together across systems when so many different people are necessarily involved? We also need independent oversight. A transparent review panel – one that brings together voices from across disciplines – can shine a light on the challenges faced by frontline professionals, uncover systemic roadblocks, and recommend practical changes at every level. Child protection is complex work, but we owe it to the children to keep asking how we can do better.
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Boy, 10, 'beaten to death' by his own headmaster during assembly in front of entire school over 'minor issue'
A 10-year-old Pakistani schoolboy has died after he was brutally beaten with a rod by his headmaster over a 'minor issue'. The heartbreaking incident took place at a private school in the Khyber district in northern Pakistan on Friday during a school assembly. Khyalmat Khan was critically injured and taken to hospital where he later died, according to local media. Headmaster Waqar Ahmed used a stick to hit the young student on the head, neck, face, and back, police said. Mr Ahmed was arrested and remains in police custody. Khyber District Police Officer Rai Mazhar Iqbal condemned the violent attack in a statement. 'Violence against children and women will not be tolerated under any circumstances', he said. 'No one has the right to misuse the noble role of a teacher to commit such brutality. 'A teacher is a spiritual guardian, but this man has dishonered the sanctity of the profession', he added. The tragic even has sparked outrage in the local community, prompting parents to demand that local authorities impose a ban on corporal punishment at schools. The shocking incident comes after a historic bill was passed in the Pakistani city of Islamabad in 2021 banning violence against children. The move came amid a number of high-profile cases of children being badly beaten and even killed, in schools, religious institutions and workplaces. In January 2021, an eight-year-old boy was beaten to death by his teacher for not memorising a lesson. In June 2020, a girl, aged eight, who was working as a maid in Islamabad, was beaten to death by her employers after she let their pet parrots escape.
