Corporal Punishment in the Private and Public Sphere in South Africa

“Physical punishment of children: Can we continue to accept the status quo?” by Kim Oates is a scholarly source found in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. The author of this journal argues that discipline with physical punishment is not only inefficient, but it also causes problems in the emotional and behavioral development of children. He follows by providing practical forms of disciplining such as: removing privileges, teaching by example, having constant supervision, setting appropriate rules, and being consistent. Kim Oates states that those parents who use physical punishment to discipline their children, likely experienced it during their childhood and are usually unaware of these other methods of discipline. Oates included

A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.

Corporal Punishment Corporal Punishment of children breaches their fundamental human rights it’s legality in the majority states worldwide. Corporal punishment has been a big problem for a very long time. Many people disagree with corporal punishment and so do I.Physical punishment should not be allowed in schools,it can create violence in kids,it is another abusive act,and kids get robbed from their full learning potential. Physical punishment can provoke violence in kids, and bullying can start just from physical punishment.

Before I begin let me explain what corporal punishment is and the controversy that has in sued in recent moths over it. Corporal punishment is the use of spanking, whipping that is not abusive. Recently though people have been harboring a more hostile view of corporal punishment regarding it as solely abuse at the slightest mention of spanking a child.

In some culture corporal punishment is seen as to do with regaining honour, so children don’t take the act to heart as much as in western civilization, causing them to not have mental issues in the future The line between corporal punishment and abuse, is when there are physical marks left and/or the reasoning is excessive for the misbehaviour (3) The only benefit of corporal punishment is immediate obedience Those who were corporally punished are more likely to abuse their spouses and children than the average person Most cases of corporal punishment cause a rift between the child and parents, when the child is more mature

Thomas Eddlem is a longtime freelance writer and high school history teacher. His credentials as related to the topic of corporal punishment is that he is a parent to three children as well as a blogger. His stake in this issue is appropriately used corporal punishment is both effective and beneficial. Additionally, He discloses no noteable financial backing for his opinions. He aims this article at a universal/ friendly audience. His purpose is to persuade the audience to believe that corporal punishment, when used on toddlers, is the most effective means of discipline. He claims a ban

Corporal punishment is defined as the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offense, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behavior deemed unacceptable (Wikipedia 2014). The line between spanking and abuse is not always clear and is decided on a case by case basis by the state prosecutors and judges and whether the line has been crossed. If asked parents use the word spanking as not just a slap on the buttocks, but a form of corporal punishment that is not severe enough to be classified as abuse. Corporal punishment has been repeatedly associated with child abuse, moral internalization, aggression, delinquent and antisocial behavior, decreased quality of the parent-child relationship, increased behavioral symptoms, later criminal behavior, worse mental health, and perpetration of spouse and child abuse (Gershoff, 2002; Zolotor et al., 2008).

What does Corporal punishment mean? Murray Straus, a sociologist who has written extensively on the topic, defines corporal punishment as “the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not hurt, for the purpose of correction or control of the child’s behavior.” Some common forms of corporal punishment are: spanking, slapping, grabbing or shoving a child roughly or hitting with objects like belt, paddle, or hair brush.

By avoiding the use of corporal punishment these methods are much more effective as long as they remain consistent. Respecting a child and managing their growth is necessary, it is how these punishments are effective when implemented in future situations. These corporal punishments often start as exactly that, punishment, but ‘nearly two-thirds of the abusive incidents begin as acts of corporal punishment meant to correct a child's misbehaviour.’ (Gershoff, 2010). Trying to find out why a child is behaving in a certain manner is also very important in determining if a direction change is needed rather than the constant use of abuse. Even more evidence of these actions above show that in analysis of the studies, (Gershoff, 2010) it was found that in 87 percent of the cases corporal punishment the children actually showed considerably less long-term compliance, displaying that it actually is not a viable method to sustaining a child’s

“The Committee on the Rights of the Child in the General Comment No. 8 defines corporal punishment as, “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Most involves hitting (“smacking”, “slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the hand or with an implement” (unicef website). Corporal punishment has been used in schools as a method of discipline and as a form of punishment for committing a crime. Some people will say that corporal punishment is no different from physical abuse, because your intending to cause some degree of pain or discomfort. However from my personal experience I went to an elementary school where they were allowed to spank the children as long as the child’s parents had signed an approval form. So needless to say if I ever got sent down to the principles officer for acting out or being bad my parents gave the principle permission to spank me. I believe that there is a difference between corporal punishment and physical abuse. Corporal punishment is a method of disciplining a child or person for acting out or for committing a crime, whereas physical abuse is causing nonaccidnetal physical injury for no apparent reason. My parents raised me to know that if I did something bad I was bound to get a “butt whooping” so I knew that if I did the same thing

It is a fact that classroom management and discipline has always been a challenge to pre-service teachers as they do not know and have not acquired the necessary skills to deal with unruly learners effectively. Often so, teachers in service use strategies that are incorrect or rather unacceptable; whether this is done intentionally or under certain desperation to gain control and respect of the learners. It is prevalent across the globe. Although the South African system has used corporal punishment for many years to maintain discipline and management in the classroom; there have always been other alternative ways which are effective and better as opposed to the harsh way of discipline. The Constitution of South Africa specifically banned the use of this harsh treatment because of the awareness that children are vulnerable and defenceless; therefore they are the ones who are at risk of being victims of crime, beatings and psychological trauma that are an ultimate result of being bullied by adults. My claim is that strategies used to maintain classrooms in public schools are not acceptable if they cause a negative effect to the development of our children. And I will argue that there are other alternatives that could be used to make sure that the classes run smooth and without causing any intimidation to either the learners or teachers in this industry, as the South African Journal of Education mentions that

Corporal punishment in these days has been becoming a topic in many old timers talks. Many believe that it helps and is definitely the way to go. The older generations still seem to believe that society would be better off if kids still got punished the way they did. They refuse to ignore data that has not supported the clams they bring up about making children better behaved or as they call it “Straightening them up”. Many believe that our liberal democracy population has views that are not valid and that the old ways need to come back to help us grow.

The world has changed in many different ways, but there are still things that need to be changed for the better. Corporal punishment is one of those things. All around the world, corporal punishment is affecting children in many ways. It is described as a form of discipline that hurts a child in a way and is used both in homes and schools. It has been going on for years upon years and very few people try to stop it. People believe corporal punishment is good for children, but there have been so many negative outcomes that other people argue against it. Although some people believe that corporal punishment helps improve a child’s behavior, corporal punishment should not be used because it could be used excessively and it is ineffective.

Children are like flowers, if well taken care of they will bloom. If ignored or tortured, they will wither and die. Child discipline is one of the most important elements of successful parenting. Today, many people have this notion that physical abuse is in no way a solution to helping children discern between right and wrong. Since generations children have been taught the art of discipline through physical punishment. Often this approach to disciplining has resulted in two outcomes, one is where the child becomes more tolerant and is willing to adhere to what he/she has been told, or the other which more often results in children developing a sense of anguish and desire to revolt.

Corporal punishment is a form of punishment used on children to correct bad behavior. The definition of corporal punishment is, a physical punishment , as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime (Dictionary.com). While several states strictly prohibit corporal punishment in schools, 44% of states in the U.S. still allow it to occur. Corporal punishment is an inappropriate way to correct bad behavior. However, almost 50% of the states in the U.S. still allow it to occur. Corporal punishment is always wrong to use in schools because it causes long-term negative effects on students, negative opinions of school or teachers, and it can increase the rate of crime and violence from students.