"I'm going to continue beating my kids"

If your country would outlaw corporal punishment, what would you think and do? Do you agree with the Confucian teachings that children are considered possessions of parents and they are granted almost inviolable authority to raise and discipline their children? You might also have heard and believe of the biblical proverb “spare the rod and spoil the child” or you might also believe that corporal punishment is a form of humiliation. According to Ellen Key, a Swedish writer who is an early advocate of a child-centered approach to education and parenting, believed that corporal punishment is a humiliation to the one who is giving it and to the recipient of physical pain. It is also ineffective.

What is corporal punishment?

In layman’s term, corporal punishment is physical punishment which would cause discomfort or pain in response to behaviors that are deemed inappropriate. Corporal punishment is being used as a child discipline method by some parents. 

Some examples of physical punishment include:

• Spanking 
• Slapping, pulling or pinching
•  Hitting with an object

Corporal punishment around the world

Corporal punishment in the United Sates is still lawful. As of 2018 there are 53 countries that ban corporal punishment. Sweden was the very first country in 1979 to ban corporal punishment both at home and school by law. Finland Norway, which is both Sweden’s neighbor, enacted the same law on 1983 and 1987. 

Other countries that ban corporal punishment

Austria (1989), Cyprus (1994), Denmark (1997), Latvia (1998), Croatia (1999), Bulgaria, Israel, Germany (2000), Turkmenistan (2002), Iceland (2003), Ukraine, Romania (2004), Hungary (2005), Greece (2006), Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Uruguay, Venezuela, Spain, Togo (2007), Costa Rica, Moldova, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein (2008), Poland, Tunisia, Kenya, Congo, Albania (2010), South Sudan (2011), Macedonia, Honduras (2013), Malta, Brazil, Cape Verde, Argentina, San Marino, Estonia, Nicaragua (2014), Andorra, Benin, Ireland, Peru (2015), Mongolia, Paraguay, Slovenia (2016), Lithuania, Montenegro (2017), Nepal (2018)

In Asian countries, most people tolerate the practice of corporal punishment and also endorse it. A fair amount of punishment was believed to make their children better people. Child-rearing practices were traditionally considered private matter within the family circle.

Corporal punishment in South Korea

I was reading the news when these words of a mom from South Korea caught my attention “I’m going to continue beating my kids even if it requires writing a contract with them”. As of 2019, corporal punishment is to be scrapped in South Korea prompting controversy in the country. In South Korea, corporal punishment has generally been accepted as a form of discipline rooted in parental love and in 1960, it has been stated in their civil code that the parents have the right to physically discipline their children. 

Corporal punishment in the Philippines

In February 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte rejected a bill that banned parents from subjecting their children to verbal abuse and physical punishment stating that it will allow government to extend its reach into the privacy of the family. The Bill of the Anti-Corporal Punishment Act of 2017 was introduced by Senator Leila de Lima.

Why corporal punishment is good?

According to a new study by researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, corporal punishment is viewed as more acceptable and effective when referred to as spanking. Slap, hit, or beat were ranked as less acceptable and effective than spank and swat.  Debate wise in one of their articles stated that corporal punishment should be reintroduced since bad behavior is on the increase in the classroom.

Why corporal punishment is bad?

There are also those who are opposed to corporal punishment. A study published in Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma on 2009 found that spanking lowers a child’s IQ. The study found that the more a child was spanked, the slower the child’s mental development. A study published in Pediatrics last 2012 stated that harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, substance abuse, personality disorders and anxiety disorders.

I am no exception when it comes to spanking her kids, I do spank my kids when they do things which are unacceptable but perhaps I have to rethink if spanking is really needed on some of their “mild” misbehaviors maybe it is better to ignore it or just talk to them about it.