Strapping (punishment) Strapping (punishment) Strapping refers to the use of a strap as an implement of corporal punishment. It is typically a broad and heavy strip of leather, often with a hard handle, the more flexible 'blade' being applied to the offender. Probably because of the stiffness, the word "strap" is sometimes used interchangeably with a leather paddle. Other terms that are used interchangeably include whipping, lashing, and confusingly even in some official language, belting—in principle a belt is lighter, without a handle. These terms are strictly speaking reserved for other implements. The Scottish tawse is a forked version with two or
Abolition of Corporal Punishment Act, 1997 Abolition of Corporal Punishment Act, 1997 The Abolition of Corporal Punishment Act, 1997 (Act No. 33 of 1997) is an act of the Parliament of South Africa that abolished judicial corporal punishment. It followed the Constitutional Court's 1995 decision in the case of "S v Williams and Others" that caning of juveniles was unconstitutional. Although the ruling in "S v Williams" was limited to the corporal punishment of males under the age of 21, Justice Langa mentioned in "dicta" that there was a consensus that corporal punishment of adults was also unconstitutional. The act contains two substantive sections. The first