The speaker of Tonga's Youth Parliament says whipping is for animals not people.
The comment follows the recent Supreme Court sentencing of two young prison escapees to six lashes of the whip as well as 13 years' imprisonment.
A former Justice Minister plans to submit a private member's bill doing away with whipping as a penalty, something the Youth Parliament's Taniela Sila says it'll support.
"It's only the animal we treat it like that but not for the human being. It's very difficult here in our society, in Tongan society, even overseas the Tongan people they are still using whipping as a way of treating their children. but nowadays we are moving ahead so we would totally agree with not using whipping as a punishment."
Taniela Sila, the Speaker of Tonga's Youth Parliament.
