Can we Conquer Child Abuse if we don’t Outlaw Physical Chastisement of Children?

Abstract

Initially, this paper was delivered as a keynote address at the 17thispcan International Congress held in Hong Kong in 2008. It addresses the question: Can we conquer child abuse if we don’t first outlaw physical punishment of children? It is argued that children’s low status in society and children’s less than optimal development are inextricably linked to corporal punishment in childhood, as is the physical abuse of children that all too frequently begins as disciplinary violence, often euphemistically described as “smacking”, but tragically escalates, resulting in injuries and even death. Attention is drawn to increasing evidence from research around the world that reveals the futility and avoidable negative consequences of physical chastisement, and the paper ends on an optimistic note foreseeing the end of the corporal punishment of children in Asia and elsewhere – a world in which children’s rights are respected and children’s childhoods are freed from the pain and fear of disciplinary violence.

Establishing Laws and Policies on Parent to Child Violence in Finland 1965–1983

“…In the past, physical violence towards children was considered a natural course of action based on the predominance of adults and the position of children as the property of their guardians (e.g. Freeman and Saunders, ). The gradual reduction in all forms of violence has been a long‐term development (Pinker, ), however, in terms of violence towards children, the eighteenth century represented a significant turning point (Helfer and others, ; deMause, ).…”

“…For example, the harm in imposing legal measures on families, or interfering in a parent's right to choose how to rear their child, have been employed as counterarguments against prohibiting physical punishment (e.g. Freeman and Saunders, ; Owen, ). In contrast, attempts to outlaw parental corporal violence are often justified by referring to changes in public attitudes and respect for a child's right to physical autonomy equal to that of adults (e.g.…”

Tackling the Physical Punishment of Children in Resource Poor Contexts

“…These laws, it is argued, indicate a shift in conceptions of childhood (Smith and Durrant, 2011;Freeman, 2014) as well as a redefinition of physical punishment 'from a legitimate parenting practice to an act of violence' (Durrant, 2008:6; see also Smith and Durrant, 2011). Beyond a focus on legislative reform, many international NGOs have also launched programmes targeted at local communities which seek to instil a change in child rearing practices particularly focused on introducing families to different approaches to parenting, including positive discipline methods (see Save the Children, 2013).…”

“…Nevertheless, in numerous communities around the world, including some parts of the Global North (amongst both host and immigrant communities (Renteln, 2010)), the physical punishment of children remains widely practiced and accepted (see Freeman, 2014). The rationale behind the continuing practice of physical punishment of children in many of these contexts is multifaceted.…”

Predicting Adults’ Approval of Physical Punishment From Their Perceptions of Their Childhood Experiences

“…In fact, some suggest that the perpetuation of this conceptual dichotomy affirms the legitimacy of violence against children (Belsky, 1980;Garbarino, 1977;Gelles & Straus, 1988;McGillivray, 2011a). Increasingly, physical punishment is becoming recognized not only as unnecessary (Roberts & Powers, 1990) and a developmental risk factor (Gershoff, 2013), but also as a violation of children's rights to physical security (Covell & Howe, 2001, 2009Gershoff & Bitensky, 2007;Freeman & Saunders, 2014;Watkinson, 1999). To date, 53 countries have explicitly prohibited physical punishment of children in all settings, including the home.…”