Effects of Corporal Punishment on Children
Introduction
Overview of the effects of corporal punishment on children
Basically, there are two types of punishments used for children, namely, verbal and corporal. Corporal punishment is defined as the intentional infliction of physical pain as a punishment for misbehavior in which the inflictor of the pain seeks to modify the behavior of the victim. The World Health Organization identifies the forms of corporal punishment as spanking, pinching, hitting with objects, and others (Aboulfotouh et al, 2009). Corporal punishment takes many forms and varies in severity, namely, it may range from mild, moderate, to severe methods. This research will identify and discuss the effects of corporal punishment among children. The discussion below presents the effects of corporal punishment on children, namely, the reduced self-esteem, poor relationship with peers, continued or repetitive violent behavior, trauma and psychological fear, and the escalation of the level of abuse prohibited by the law.
Rationale for studying the effects of corporal punishment on children
Studies show that there are increasing cases of corporal punishment on children. In a report by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (Aboulfotouh et al, 2009), there were over three million children in the United States who were reported to be victims of maltreatment in 2001. Of these, there was an estimate of 903,000 children who suffered from physical abuse. This is the primary reason of engaging in various efforts to study the effects of corporal punishment among children. The increasing number of physically abused children is saddening and must be a worldwide concern given that every government has their own laws and policies penalizing abuse and maltreatment on children. Aside from that, these cases are clear manifestations of violations of human rights in which legislators and officials must take part on that.
Significance of studying the effects of corporal punishment on children
Studying effects of corporal punishment on children would not only create the public awareness that such incidences are occurring particularly on within family setting. Conducting studies regarding this can encourage public officials and concerned private individuals to take part and act on this to preserve human rights. Amendments on laws can also be considered once legislators see that the present law provisions are not enough to stop these kinds of abuse of children. By this, it would be probable that in the future, corporal management will be minimized to a great extent, if not totally diminish its occurrence, and prohibit the repetitive acts of violence transferred from one generation to another.
Defining Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment versus physical abuse
It was found out that corporal punishment is becoming a major risk factor of physical abuse. Physical abuse is characterized by the infliction of physical injuries by punching, kicking, and other acts harming a child. The adult may not intend to hurt the child, but the manner as to which the caretaker wants to transform behavior leads to something that is already dangerous. This is what differentiates corporal punishment from mere physical abuse, primarily because the former is believed to be inflicting damage due to valid reasons and that the person inflicting the damage believes that the qualifiers of the act, such as pinching or kicking, is appropriate for such reasons.
Corporal punishment and societal norms
A childs individual-level experience of corporal punishment within a certain culture and his or her aggressive behavior has something to do with hisher clinging to the community and society. However, corporal punishment has now been empirically related to greater levels of societal violence and endorsement of violence.
Corporal punishment and the human rights policy
In Egypt, corporal punishment is being prohibited by many schools in obedience with their existing laws, such as Article 21 of Law No. 2010 on primary education of 1952, Article 48 of Law No. 211 on secondary education of 1995, and a number of ministerial decrees issued by the government. The Commissioner on the Human Rights Council of Europe does not support corporal punishment due to the following grounds
Children have had to wait until last to be given equal legal protection from deliberate assaultsa protection the rest of us take for granted. It is extraordinary that children, whose developmental state and small size is acknowledged to make them particularly vulnerable to physical and psychological injury, should be singled out for less protection from assaults on their fragile bodies, minds and dignity (Hammarberg, 2006, paras. 45).
Effects of Corporal Punishment on Children
Obedience
It was revealed in previous studies that the primary reason why parents exercise corporal punishment is for their child to stop exhibiting misbehavior. They believe that when a child is being punished due to his behavior, he will most likely follow in direct compliance or obedience his parents words or dictations. However, it was found out that such compliance, when initiated using corporal punishment is only short-term. There would still be instances that the child will act unruly based on his parents orders due to unconscious need of rebellion. The goal of corporal punishment here is not justified.
Control
It is perceived that moral internalization of the child or the so-called parents control over their behavior would be most effective when the adults are using minimal parental power, gives the child an opportunity for choice and autonomy, and provide explanations for their unnecessary behavior. The use of corporal punishment does not necessarily constitute control over the childs attitude or behavior, because there is a greater tendency that the intention of the parents would be undermine due to the damage inflicted to the child. Furthermore, corporal punishment does not teach children lessons regarding their misbehavior, rather, this may just teach them of ways of not getting caught on their wrongdoings.
Aggression
Several reviews have concluded that there is a direct connection between corporal punishment and increase or development of aggression in the childs behavior. Corporal punishment suggests aggression in children primarily because it models aggression as an act to correct or obtain something. Although aggression may not necessarily result in violent acts, it is investigated that corporal punishment applied to children constitutes behavior such as stealing and unruly behavior especially on romantic relationships.
Delinquency and problem behaviors
Over the years, scholars and authorities have proved that the exhibition of corporal punishment results in anti-social norms and behaviors of adults and children originated from this kind of family orientation. Corporal punishment limits the childs ability to reflect on oneself thus prohibiting himher to conduct moral internalization which later on results in delinquency and anti-social behavior. This kind of abuse within the family prevents the child from absorbing the positive values posited by hisher parents or the society, and thus, heshe chooses to act in deviation from the social norms.
Impaired parent-child relationship
The main disadvantage of exercising corporal punishment is that it disrupts the parent-child relationship. For the part of the child, hisher trust and loyalty to parents are being diminished because heshe will start to entertain the idea that his parents already lost their compassion with himher due to infliction of harm and violence. The painful nature of corporal punishment also evokes children to develop negative feelings such as fear, anger, and anxiety. These kinds of emotions would certainly interfere with the potential good relationship between child and parent.
Mental health problems
Although there is no tangible evidence that corporal punishment results into mental illnesses, it is found out that children who have suffered from this kind of punishments are more likely to develop distress and psycho emotional disorders.
Conclusion
All things considered, it is evident that a large proportion of children are suffering from corporal punishment as viewed as equivalent to the disciplinary actions. Corporal punishment is most likely to be exercised by mothers who have negative experiences in marriage or those who have traumatic experiences during their childhood years. The application of clinical nursing, counseling by child psychologists, and forensic activities were found to be useful in disclosing pertinent information about corporal punishment cases. These areas also help in restoring the normative function of children after being subjected to trauma due to physical abuse within their respective families. It was also found out that corporal punishment has a significant effect on the outcome of a childs relationship among peers.
Implications
The exercise of corporal punishment on children may lead to negative consequences, namely, physical injuries, psychological and emotional trauma. Based on the scholarly works consulted, children who have experienced corporal punishment within their homes are most likely to have lower self-esteem. This is justified by the fact that they are not receiving any kinds of recognition and appreciation from their families and therefore, causes disintegration of respect for them. Children, who are victims of abuse, exhibit poor relationship with their peers and manifest fear or trauma when engaged in an intimate relationship (not necessarily romantic). It can also be predicted, due to the repetitive history, that children who suffered from violence and abuse are most likely to do the same thing with the children in the future. What is critical here is that corporal punishment results in repetitive acts of violence from generation to generation.
Recommendations
It is recommended that concerned the governmental agencies and other private organizations would plan an awareness-raising educational program for current and expectant parents primarily to promote nonviolent methods of raising children. This program can be applied in various social sectors by prominent church, media, and entertainment figures. Also, concerned individuals especially the parents must support social workers based in schools and school psychologists as they help in counseling children who are victims of violence at home. Furthermore, the government must develop strict legislations that will protect children from violence and criminalize people who will violate these laws. At the same time, forensic practitioners can be of great help in determining the frequency of abuse among children and make necessary judgments for every case.
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