Disciplining children, even if it results in physical injuries, does not automatically amount to child abuse, the Supreme Court (SC) said.
For it to be considered abuse, the SC said there must be clear intent to harm the child’s dignity.
In a Decision penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, the Second Division upheld the conviction of a father for child abuse after subjecting his 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son to violent and excessive discipline.
Between 2017 and 2018, the father beat his children, kicked his daughter, pulled her hair, struck her with a wooden rod with a nail, hit them with a dustpan, and repeatedly cursed at them.
The father claimed his actions were intended to discipline his children for misbehaving, such as not eating lunch or losing money from their coin banks.
The Regional Trial Court (RTC) and the Court of Appeals both found the father guilty under Republic Act No. (RA) 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
Under RA No. 7610, Section 3(b), any act that degrades or demeans a child’s dignity is considered abuse.
The father appealed, arguing he did not intend to harm his children’s dignity. However, the SC ruled his actions were excessive and showed intent to harm their dignity.
The high court emphasized that while parents have the right to discipline their children, such actions must not be violent, excessive, or disproportionate to their misbehavior.
The father was sentenced to four to six years in prison, fined P45,000, and ordered to pay his children P180,000 in damages.IMT
