Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-ir) -- In an effort to collect fifty thousand signatures before November 30, a crusade has been organized across the country to support a project that has as its main objective to ban the corporal punishment of children in Peru, reported Andina news service.

The organizations supporting the effort are Infant, Save The Children, Organizaciones de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes, Plan Internacional and the Pacto por el Buen Trato.

It was reported that the idea is to modify articles 4 and 74 of the Code for Boys, Girls and Adolescents, which states that a father should "moderately correct" his children.

It is argued that the law does not prohibit the corporal punishment of children and does not specify when "correcting" a child is moderate or excessive.

For these reasons it is necessary to modify the law to protect children and adolescents against corporal punishment, reported Andina.

Sheets that can be signed by those wising to support have been distributed in the cities of Huancavelica, Ica, Arequipa, Piura, Cusco, Pucallpa and other cities across Peru. The signed sheets are to be collected by different organizations, schools, NGOs and other such entities.

The fifty thousand signatures are to support the proposal to change the law and will be given to Peru's Congress during the "Goodbye to Punishment Parade", which is to be held on December 7.