LETTER | Caning, a barbaric form of punishment, should be abolished, as advocated by many organisations, including the United Nations.

The Federal Court’s five-person bench today granted a prisoner’s application to be spared the remainder of his caning sentence after he fainted on the first stroke of the rotan.

The top court revoked the remaining 11 strokes of the cane that a previous Federal Court panel had imposed on the prisoner, Indian national Najmudeen Abdul Kader, who was convicted of a drug trafficking offence.

Caning is often viewed as cruel, inhumane, and degrading, violating international human rights standards. Organisations like the UN have called for its elimination as it can amount to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

Physical and psychological harm

Caning causes severe physical pain and long-term physical psychological trauma. It can leave permanent scars, both physically and mentally, leading to further suffering long after the punishment.

It has also been proven that corporal punishment, including caning, does not effectively deter crime. In fact, countries that rely on such punishments do not necessarily have lower crime rates compared to those that use rehabilitative measures.

Caning often arbitrary and disproportionately affects marginalised groups, including the poor, minorities, and foreigners, who may not have access to fair legal representation. It can also be applied inconsistently, depending on the discretion of judges or officials.

There are modern alternatives to rehabilitate criminals which are more humane, effective, and civilised to corporal punishment, such as rehabilitation programmes, fines, or imprisonment, which focus on reintegration rather than inflicting harm.

There is a growing global trend towards the abolition of corporal punishment. Many countries have reformed their legal systems, recognising that such practices are incompatible with modern standards of justice and human dignity.

By abolishing caning, societies can uphold human dignity while focusing on more constructive methods of addressing crime and rehabilitation. Nations need to move away from barbaric practices to punish toward more civilised ways.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.