Male school students who bully others, including through cyberbullying, will face caning as a “last resort” under new guidelines introduced in Singapore.

Male students can face up to three strokes of the cane under the new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday.

International groups such as Unicef, the UN’s agency for children, oppose the use of corporal punishment for children, saying it harms their physical and mental health, and increases behavioural problems over time.

The education minister, Desmond Lee, told lawmakers that caning would only be applied “if all the other measures are inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct”.

“They follow strict protocols to ensure safety for the student. For instance, caning must be approved by the principal and administered only by authorised teachers,” he said.

“Schools will consider factors such as the maturity of the student and if caning will help the student learn from his mistake and understand the gravity of what he has done.”

The measures follow a year-long review that focused on bullying, and come after several high-profile school bullying incidents drew public attention last year.

Caning will only be used as a punishment for male students in upper primary levels (age 9-12 years) and above, said Lee, who pointed to the country’s criminal procedure code, which prohibits the caning of women.

After the caning is imposed, the school would “monitor the student’s wellbeing and progress”, including providing counselling, Lee said.

Female students, he said, would receive punishments “such as detention and/or suspension, adjustment of their conduct grade and other school-based consequences”.

Judicial caning, first introduced by British colonialists in the 19th century, continues to be used in Singapore for male offenders under 50. This includes crimes such as robbery, scamming or overstaying a visa by 90 days.

A report released by the World Health Organization last year said that corporal punishment remained “alarmingly widespread” globally, adding that it caused significant harm to children’s health and development.

Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion children aged 0-18 years are subjected to corporal punishment at home each year, according to WHO.