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RESEARCH AND CHILDREN:Cambodia
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Children's perceptions of corporal punishment in schools
Large-scale research into children's attitudes towards violence has been undertaken by Tearfund, a relief and development NGO working in partnership with Christian agencies and churches.
What the research involved
The first stage of the research involved focus groups of boys and girls aged 11-13 years from an urban slum community, a rural community and a provincial town community. Each focus group of 5 girls and 5 boys participated in a half day workshop in which children were shown a series of pictures that had been drawn by a Cambodian artist illustrating different scenarios of violence against and by children, including a picture of a teacher beating a child. Each picture was presented separately. In each group, the children themselves selected a leader and volunteer 'actors', who then acted out the scenario in a role play, of both before the incident on the picture and the follow up. The acting of the scenario was recorded on video, then viewed together and discussed.
What the research found
When asked if what was shown on the picture of the teacher beating a student happened in their schools, the children all said it did, "very often when we make a mistake". Reasons for such punishment were given as: "because the children are very naughty or they are fighting", "because the students disobey, or make lots of mistakes, come late to class, make a lot of noise, don't do school or homework, have bad manners or play during study time", "(because the children) make a noise in the classroom, beat the other students, disturb the teacher and play the game that the teacher will not allow them to play while the teacher is teaching" and "they disobey the school regulations, they do their homework incorrectly, they are not so clever, and especially they are not quiet".
The children in the focus groups listed the following methods used by teachers to physically punish children:
- Beats child with stick
- Beats the back of the student
- Asks student to stand on one leg
- Asks student to kneel down
- Asks children to stand on the skin of the Durian fruit
- Asks children to stand outside in the heat
- Pins the ear of the student and pulls them up by their ears
- Uses the clothes-pin to pin the lip or the ear of the student
- Twists hair/Pulls hair
- Twists the ear
- Pushes and holds the child's head to the wall or white board
- Throws the thing in his/her hand
- Run around the school
- If the child has long hair or nails they are cut by the teacher
The children had mixed views on the rightness or wrongness of beating children, but they seemed to agree that teachers have the right to beat children:
"Yes, if I am doing wrong I would prefer the teacher to hit me".
"No, the teacher should ask me to clean the rubbish or classroom or kneel down".
"They should not beat them all, just the lazy ones".
"The teacher should not use the stick because it is very painful and the students don't get any knowledge from beatings like this".
"Teachers should ask for the reason first and then beat later or talk first and if students still didn't listen beat later",
But whether the children believed in being beaten or not they often still had a sense of justice.
"The teacher should not throw their anger on the student without reason".
Children were asked how corporal punishment might be prevented. In response, children were sometimes more concerned with what the children needed to do rather than considering the possibility that the teacher could be disciplined.
"Cry and say sorry to the teacher, promise not to do this again and respect what the teacher says."
"Plead with the teacher not to beat them anymore."
"Listen to the teacher."
"Help to explain to the weak students and encourage the weak students to learn more at home."
"Tell the parents to help to explain or teach more."
"Take them to their parents and explain to them about their children."
Other suggestions included:
"the smart students need to help to teach the weak students."
"Some teachers have a good attitude, others bad. As students we need to tell the school director and ask him to help to solve the problems."
"Ask the parents to write a letter to the school director [who will then] provide education and give instructions to the bad teacher to know what is right and what is wrong."
Miles, G. & Varin, S., 2005, "Stop Violence Against Us!" A preliminary national research study into the prevalence and perceptions of Cambodian children to violence against children in Cambodia, Summary report, Tearfund
Report available here: http://www.kone-kmeng.org
Children's views on implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Cambodia 2000-2004
The Children and Young People Movement for Child Rights (CYPMCR) is a network of youth-led organisations and clubs formed in 2002. In 2004, under the coordination of the Child Rights Foundation and funded by UNICEF and Save the Children, CYPMCR produced this report of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Cambodia for submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
In order to allow as many children as possible to express their views, CYPMCR surveyed children in primary and junior high schools in 16 (out of 24) provinces and municipalities across the five regions of Cambodia. In total, more than 5,000 children aged 12-18 years were surveyed. In addition, a 3-day conference was held in which 74 children from 24 provinces and municipalities participated.
One of the questions in the survey asked children "When you do something wrong, would you be punished by your teachers?" More than nine out of ten answered "yes" to this question. When asked to list the punishments they would receive, most (nine out of ten) listed "talk to me/advise me". One in five listed "Beat me", "Insult me" or "Shout at me", with boys twice as likely as girls to list one of these options, and 12-14 year olds almost twice as likely to list "Beat me" as 15-18 year olds.
Children and Young People Movement for Child Rights/Child Rights Foundation, 2004, Children's Report: Children's Views on Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Cambodia 2000-2004
Report available at: www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/Children_Report_Cambodia.pdf