§ Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the Trusteeship Committee of the United Nations on 19th December, 1951, urged Great Britain to abolish flogging as a punishment in all territories they administer under United Nations trusteeship; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.
§ Mr. LytteltonDue note has been taken of the Resolution adopted by the Fourth Committee on 11th January, but there are practical difficulties in putting it into effect.
Two major difficulties have to be overcome. First there are the deeply-rooted traditional practices, particularly in parts of Africa where opinion is strongly in favour of the retention of such punishment for certain offences. Secondly, alternative methods of treatment are not yet fully developed, especially in the case of juvenile offenders.