CPTL Recommends Reformatory For Bullying Offenders

The Centre for Peacebuilding and Transformative Leadership (CPTL) has strongly condemned the act of bullying captured in the viral video from David Kaunda National Technical Secondary School, describing it as a grave violation of child rights.

In a media statement today, CPTL Executive Director Mayani Musumali said the organisation views the assault with utmost seriousness and calls for immediate action against all forms of violence in schools.

Ms. Musumali noted that bullying is unacceptable because it inflicts deep emotional and psychological wounds on victims, often leading to anxiety, depression and a diminished sense of self-worth.

She advanced that the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022 provides a robust legal framework to protect children, with Sections 9(1) and 10 explicitly safeguarding every child from physical, psychological and mental injury.

Ms. Musumali said that the Act defines child abuse broadly to encompass the very behaviours witnessed in the video, including verbal abuse, physical assault and intimidation.

She affirmed that the Secondary Education Commitment Forms, which ban bullying and cyberbullying, are aligned with the Children’s Code and carry sanctions such as suspension and expulsion.

Ms. Musumali emphasised that the Child Safeguarding Guidelines for the Education Sector, launched in January 2025, further strengthen the legal and policy response to bullying in schools.

She stated that perpetrators must be held accountable under the law, as the Children’s Code provides for penalties including fines and imprisonment for offences against children.

Ms. Musumali further recommended that serious bullying offenders should be isolated and sent to reformatory institutions such as Katombora Reformatory School, where they can undergo rehabilitation and skills training .

She said that such placement would serve the dual purpose of protecting other learners while providing offending children with the opportunity for reform through education and counselling programmes .

Ms. Musumali noted that Katombora Reformatory School, which has been upgraded to a secondary school, offers structured rehabilitation programmes designed to equip juveniles with survival skills and a sense of belonging .

She stressed that the Ministry of Education must ensure consistent enforcement of the law across all schools and consider reformatory placement as a viable option for persistent bullying offenders under the Children’s Code .