The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, a few points on this Bill. We must avoid doomsday narratives — claiming that if a teacher is sanctioned, the family collapses, the child turns to drugs, and the whole world ends. Law functions within society, not only in courts and police. Much has been written — from Michel Foucault to John Locke — and even the Buddha discoursed on discipline and punishment. This operates within social context; let us not manufacture scarecrows.

¶ 02 What is often ignored is how some teachers speak to children: calling them “stupid,” saying “you will never be good at maths,” creating back-row labels, excluding them from the “front row.” Emotional damage can be worse than a cane. We see it daily — on buses, in clinics, women and boys suffer harassment. Emotional harm is profound. Some children, once labeled, stop trying altogether.

¶ 03 This legislation aligns us with global progress. Poland stopped corporal punishment two centuries ago. The Soviet Union prohibited it soon after the 1917 Revolution; China moved in 1949; in 1986 it was fully banned; India followed in 1985 and has gone further since. The prevalence here has already reduced; most teachers do not do this now.

¶ 04 Films like Taare Zameen Par show the inner world of children and how we adults must learn. After watching it, many of us re-examined our own habits. The world advances by learning, not by fear-mongering.

¶ 05 We are debating, not passing, this today. It will later be aligned with the Code of Criminal Procedure amendments. At Party Leaders, we insisted on this debate, because children are not for our entertainment; they are our future — the six- and seven-year-olds today will run Sri Lanka in 2050. We cannot educate them with 1800s methods.

¶ 06 Every home has its own culture; love and care guide limits. Even a pet understands loving correction; a child is far more intelligent. Across the world, evidence shows psychological damage is the key harm; cyberbullying magnifies shame publicly. There is no “right to be forgotten” here; old mistakes persist online. Hence we need a modern response.

¶ 07 I regret attempts to justify public shaming, including of a colleague’s daughter — that too under the guise of attacking the father. The father did not commit a wrong; those spreading humiliation did. This Bill is needed for such harms as well. Hon. Minister Saroja Savitri Paulraj, proceed; bring this with the criminal law amendments and pass it properly.

¶ 08 Parliament’s Arts and Cultural Forum has been formed; I request screening Taare Zameen Par for all MPs and distributing the CD to those still upset.

¶ 09 Thank you.