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AFGHANISTAN

Qualitative research into adults’ perspectives on everyday physical violence against children within the family, published in 2008, involved interviews with more than 200 men and women from 61 families in urban and rural areas in four provinces, plus 56 focus group discussions and 46 interviews with key informants. The study found that violence against children is widely used and recognised, though to a significant degree is not regarded with approval. Physical violence existed to varying degrees within all 61 case study families, most commonly slapping, verbal abuse, punching, kicking, and hitting with thin sticks, electrical cables and shoes. More unusual types of violence included shooting at children, tying them up, washing them in cold water outside during winter and public humiliation. Corporal punishment was used on children as young as 2 or 3 years. No clear difference between punishment of boys and of girls was found, but men were perceived as having more “rights” to be violent towards children than women in the family.

(Smith, Deborah J., 2008, Love, Fear and Discipline: Everyday violence toward children in Afghan families, Kabul: Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit)

In a survey by Save the Children reported in 2003, 82% of children interviewed reported that slapping, kicking and hitting with a stick are common forms of punishment. Hair and ear pulling were reported by nearly 6% of children. Over half reported being hit or severely beaten for being noisy or naughty, almost a quarter for not learning their school lessons, and nearly one in ten for disobeying adults.

(Save the Children Sweden Afghanistan, 2003, Mini Survey Report on Corporal Punishment, Kabul: Save the Children, cited in Jabeen, F., 2004, Corporal/physical and psychological punishment of girls and boys in South and Central Asia Region, Save the Children Sweden Denmark)

ALBANIA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 46% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (6%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 30% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

Research in 2000 by the Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania, involving interviews with 35 children in detention centres, found that the use of torture by police officers during arrest and investigation was widespread.

(Hazizaj, A. & Thornton Barkley, S., 2000, Awaiting Trial: A report on the situation of children in Albanian police stations and pre-trial detention centres, Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania)

Interview research with juveniles in prisons by the Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania found that corporal punishment was commonly used as a punishment when internal prison rules were broken.

(Coku, B. & Kotorri, V., 2000, Juveniles in Albanian Prisons: A report on the situation of juveniles in Albanian prisons, Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania)

ALGERIA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 72% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (15%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 68% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

Research reported in January 2008 found that of 1,700 Algerian families, 70% whip their children and use violence for disciplinary reasons. The most commonly used implements in corporal punishment were found to be rocks and shoes; parents also reported using their hands to beat children’s faces and heads. Punishments often resulted in injuries and bruising.

(Reported in Echorouk Online, 6 January 2008)

ARGENTINA

An analysis of treatment of children in police stations and institutions run by the Province Council of the Minor between July 1998 and July 2001 found that torture and ill-treatment was systematically perpetrated against children, with 576 cases of such treatment being recorded during the period.

(SERPAJ-Argentina, Recopilacion de denuncias efectuadas por el Defensor del Departamento Judicial de San Isidro, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Novembre 2001, cited in World Organisation Against Torture, Rights of the Child in Argentina, OMCT)

Research by Serpaj-Argentina and Don Bosco Hogares in 1998 into the conditions of detention in child institutions found that incarcerated children are regularly subject to disciplinary sanctions such as confinement in “chastisement cells” and corporal punishment.

(SERPAJ/Argentina, Hogares Don Bosco, 1998, Informe carcel y ninos, cited in World Organisation Against Torture, 2002, Rights of the Child in Argentina, OMCT)

ARMENIA

A 2002 survey by the Armenian Relief Society of 550 parents and 550 children aged 7-18 years, together with interviews involving 100 teachers, 100 neighbours, and 50 specialists from social, educational, health and legal spheres, found a high prevalence of physical abuse in families. A third of parents (33.3%), particularly young mothers, were in favour of slapping and beating in disciplining children. Preliminary analysis revealed that beating and slapping were also common in schools.

(Urumova, I., Galvastan, M. & Tevosyan, A., 2003 in progress, “Violence against children and women in Armenia”, Armenian Relief Society/UNICEF)

AUSTRALIA

A survey of parents in Queensland, conducted by the Parenting and Family Support Centre, University of Queensland, and reported in 2007, found that 71% smacked their children occasionally. When asked how likely parents were to use smacking as a punishment, 43% said they were likely or very likely to give a single smack with their hand; 10% said they were likely or very likely to spank their child more than once with their hand or another object.

(Reported in Herald Sun, 19 May 2007)

Telephone interviews with a representative sample of 720 adults aged 18+ were carried out in 2006 by Quantum Market Research on behalf of the Australian Childhood Foundation and the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse at Monash University. The research found that 45% of respondents believed it was reasonable to leave a mark on a child as a result of physical punishment (representing a decrease from the 55% found in similar research in 2002). One in 10 believed that it was appropriate to use implements such as canes, sticks, belts, or slippers to punish a child (representing an increase in support for the use of implements compared with the 4% figure found in the 2002 research); one in seven (14%) supported the use of a wooden spoon. Two out of five (41%) believed that smacking a child is effective in shaping his or her behaviour, while one in ten believed that smacking a teenager is an effective way of discipline. When presented with the statement that it is sometimes necessary to smack a naughty child, 69% agreed (representing a decline in support for corporal punishment when compared with the 2002 – 75%).

(Tucci, J., Mitchell, J. & Goddard, C., 2006, Crossing the Line: Making the case for changing Australian laws about the physical punishment of children, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia: Australian Childhood Foundation)

In a large scale survey of the health and wellbeing of children, conducted in 1993 by the Western Australian Institute for Child Health Research, about 30% of parents were reported as smacking their children aged 4-11 years.

(Reported in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

A survey of 1,200 parents commissioned by the National Child Protection Council, reported in 1995, found that 80% thought it unharmful to hit a child, with 20% believing it acceptable to use an implement such as a ruler, leather strap or wooden spoon; 50% of respondents believed it is every parent’s right to discipline children in any way they see fit.

(Reported in “Editorial: Australia”, Times Educational Supplement, 15 September 1995)

AUSTRIA

A survey in 1991-2 commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Youth and the Family, found that 28.5% of mothers and 26% of fathers occasionally resorted to violence in bringing up their children, while 4% of mothers and 5.2% of fathers frequently used “stronger” forms of violent discipline. Corporal punishment was more common for boys than for girls. More than two thirds of mothers (67.5% ) and fathers (68.8% ) rejected beatings as a means of education.

(Federal Ministry of the Environment, Youth and the Family, “Causes and consequences of violence against women and children”. Cited in initial state report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 1996, CRC/C/11/Add.14, para.258)

BANGLADESH

A study reported in 2005 of 153 children in 16 groups and 109 adults in 13 groups examined behaviours children liked and behaviour children disliked. The children identified a total of 1,043 behaviours that they disliked from people in the immediate family, educational settings and the workplace. Of these, 293 were categorised as physical discipline/punishment, 206 as verbal discipline/punishment, and 66 as other kinds of discipline/punishment, representing the top three disliked behaviours.

(Government of Bangladesh/UNICEF/Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Child Abuse Study: Study Report, Draft Version, 25 January 2005)

A survey by Save the Children of more than 2,500 child domestic workers in Dhaka found that almost two thirds of employers said they were prepared to beat their servants.

(cited in Jabeen, F., 2004, Corporal/physical and psychological punishment of girls and boys in South and Central Asia Region, Save the Children Sweden Denmark)

A study involving interviews with children living in slums conducted by UNICEF and the NGO Phulki which revealed that physical and psychological punishment is widely practised in public schools.

BARBADOS

A UNICEF study of child vulnerability in Barbados, St Vincent and St Lucia, completed in November 2006, found that younger girls and boys were much more likely to be punished than their teenage siblings in all three countries. The number of small children who received no punishment was below 50% in all countries. Overall, younger children, both girls and boys, were more likely to be subjected to corporal punishment, such as spanking, slapping or hitting with the hand or an object.

(Reported in The Barbados Advocate, 23 May 2007)

A questionnaire survey was administered to 290 pupils aged 10-11 years (125 boys, 165 girls), from 11 elementary schools from urban, suburban, and rural districts, in 1989-90. The research found that nearly 75% of pupils approved of corporal punishment at junior level, around 50% at secondary level and around 30% at infant level, but did not approve of routine (and illegal) “flogging” or “lashing” by regular classroom teachers.

(Anderson, S. & Payne, M. A., 1994, “Corporal punishment in elementary education: Views of Barbadian schoolchildren”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.18, no.4, pp.377-386)

A survey of over 1,000 secondary school pupils reported in 1988 revealed that just over 60% were in favour of flogging or caning, but only about 3% approved of “unofficial” random hitting and cuffing by classroom teachers.

(Payne, M. A., 1988, Discipline and punishment in Barbadian secondary schools: The students’ perspective, Cave Hill, Barbados: University of the West Indies, Faculty of Education Occasional Paper No.1, cited in Anderson, S. & Payne, M. A., 1994, “Corporal punishment in elementary education: Views of Barbadian schoolchildren”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.18, no.4)

A questionnaire survey of 499 Barbadian adults (236 men, 263 women) aged 20-59 in 1987 found that 70% approved of corporal punishment as a way of disciplining children. Most of those who approved (76.5%) endorsed “flogging/lashing with a belt or strap” as a method, with the buttocks most frequently endorsed as the part of the body to which it should be administered. Other methods approved included slapping with the hand (14.4%), spanking with a shoe or similar object (14.2%), and using a rod or cane (13.3%). Only 23.3% considered that corporal punishment should never be used.

(Payne, M.A., 1989, “Use and abuse of corporal punishment: A Caribbean view”, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 13, pp.389-401)

BELARUS

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 49% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (15%) believed that children need to be physically punished.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

BELGIUM

Telephone interviews with 1,070 adults aged 15 years and over in April 2004, revealed that 77% believe it is acceptable for parents to smack their children, including 17% who believe it is always acceptable and 60% who believe there are some circumstances in which it is acceptable. Just under a fifth (19%) believe it is unacceptable in any circumstances.

(Market & Opinion Research International, 2004, “Attitudes towards smacking children: Belgium”, Research conducted for the Association for the Protection of All Children)

A government commissioned study in 1988 into women’s experiences of violence found that of the 58% who had experienced violence in their lives, 65% of it was at the hands of their parents. Over a third of the total sample (35% ) had experienced violence before the age of 16 years. Typically, the violence was experienced at a young age (41% in infancy, 21% between the ages of 6 and 12 years).

(Bruynooghe, R. et al., 1988, Ervaringen van vrouwen met fysiek en seksueel geweld: prevalentie en gevolgen, Diepenbeek: Centre Universitaire Limbourgeois)

BELIZE

A survey of 939 school students concerning absenteeism and child-friendly primary schools by the Human Rights Commission of Belize (NGO) found that 39% of children’s opinions identified violent behaviour, including corporal punishment by teachers, as the aspect of school children liked the least.

(Hunt, H., 2003, Leave No Child Out – the report of a survey on why children don’t go to school and on how schools can be child-friendly, Belize: Human Rights Commission of Belize)

In consultation for a report on the laws relating to corporal punishment, a group of seven 12-16-year-old children reported that children are beaten by parents, teachers, siblings, classmates and policemen, because these adults are angry, frustrated, sad, stressed, under pressure, drunk, on drugs, or have low self esteem. The beatings take place in the home, in school, on the street; they involve all parts of the body but especially children’s backs, buttocks, head, hands and legs; and they occur almost every day. Beatings are done with a variety of implements, including broomsticks, belts, electric cords, paddles and shoes.

(Hunt, H., 2003, Corporal punishment in Belize – the legal framework for violence against children, Belize: National Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect)

BERMUDA (UK overseas territory)

A telephone poll carried out in June 1998 for the Bermuda Sun newspaper by Research Innovations Ltd found strong public support among 395 respondents for corporal punishment in schools. This support was higher among blacks (71%, whites 52.6%), men (69%, women 60%), lower- and middle-income earners (61.2% and 65.6% respectively compared with higher-income 52.2%) and older people. Overall, corporal punishment in schools was supported by 64.1% (66.6% among registered voters).

(Reported in Ebbin, M., 1998, “Widespread support for corporal punishment”, Bermuda Sun, Hamilton, 15 July 1998)

BOLIVIA

A study in 1997 on how children in La Puz, Oruro and Cochabamba perceived their rights, carried out by the Under-Secretariat of Generational Affairs with the support of UNICEF and the European Economic Community, found that seven out of ten children had been subjected to psychological punishment and six out of ten had experienced corporal punishment. According to Defence for Children International, 20% of the punishments had occurred on parents’ return from work, 14% in the context of marital disputes and a further 14% under the influence of alcohol.

(Reported in the third state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2004, CRC/C/125/Add.2, para. 301)

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 21% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (6%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 5% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

BOTSWANA

In June 2007, the Education Secretary for Ngami region reported a Baseline Study which found that 92% of students had been beaten by school, and this was supported by 67% of parents.

(Reported in Daily News, 13 June 2007)

In research by DITSHWANELO, a survey concerning corporal punishment in schools found that about 90% of respondents said they used corporal punishment on children.

(Reported in correspondence with the Global Initiative, February 2006)

BRAZIL

Research in five juvenile detention centres in the State of Rio de Janeiro found that beatings, and impunity for offenders, were common. Verbal violence was also common, and youths experienced lengthy periods of lock-up and being forced to stand for long periods of time in uncomfortable positions.

(Human Rights Watch, 2004, “Real dungeons”: Juvenile Detention in the State of Rio de Janeiro, vol.16, no.7)

Research by Human Rights Watch in 17 detention centres in Northern Brazil, including four girls and including interviews with 44 detained young people, found that children are routinely beaten by police. Beatings both during and after arrest were found to be common. Children complaining of beatings reported that military police hit them with rubber batons with a metal core.

(Human Rights Watch, 2003, Cruel Confinement: Abuses against detained children in Northern Brazil)

In 1999, research by the Child Studies Laboratory (LACRI), University of Sao Paulo, into the experiences of 894 boys and girls aged 7-15 years at schools in Sao Paulo found a high prevalence of corporal punishment in the home. Among those aged 7-9 years, the most frequent forms of punishment were smacking, spanking and ear/hair pulling (41.51%, 41.92% and 36.79% respectively for boys; 32.76%, 24.14% and 27.59% for girls). Of those aged 10-12 years, between a quarter and just over a half of those who reported having received corporal punishment were still being beaten, and among those aged 13-15 years who experienced corporal punishment, there was no form of punishment that had not been experienced by at least one child. Punishment is administered by both mothers and fathers, but particularly the mother the younger the child. Children aged 7-9 years reported feeling predominantly pain and sadness when they were beaten; those aged 10-12 years mainly pain and rage; those aged 13-15 years mainly rage.

(Azevedo, M. A. & de Azevedo Guerra, V. N., 2001, Hitting Mania: Domestic corporal punishment of children and adolescents in Brazil, Sao Paulo: IGLU Editora)

BURKINA FASO

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 56% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (37%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 71% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

BURUNDI

Interviews with children in conflict with the law and with parents and law enforcement officials, carried out by Human Rights Watch in 2006-2007, found that many children have been beaten and have suffered other ill treatment while in detention.

(Human Rights Watch, 2007, Paying the price: Violations of the rights of children in detention in Burundi)

CAMBODIA

(Beazley, H., S. Bessell, et al., 2006, What Children Say: Results of comparative research on the physical and emotional punishment of children in Southeast Asia and Pacific, 2005, Stockholm, Save the Children Sweden)

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. 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, and found that most children believed that children should be beaten by teachers if they are disobedient or if they “made a mistake”, with few feeling that beating was inappropriate in some cases. Children also felt that parents should beat children if they “made a mistake”. The second stage, supported by the Ministry of Education, comprised a written questionnaire survey of 1,314 children aged 12-15 years. Half of the boys (50.5%) and over a third of the girls (36.4%) reported having been beaten by their parents; 82.4% of girls and 81.1% of boys reported witnessing other children being beaten by their parents. Nearly one in four girls (24.1%) and over one in three boys (34.7%) reported having been beaten by their teacher in school.

(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)

In a survey by the Children and Young People Movement for Child Rights reported in 2005, of more than 5,000 12-18 year old children at primary and junior high schools in 16 of the 24 provinces and municipalities, 90% of respondents said that their teachers would punish them if they did something wrong, and for 20% of these the punishment would be beating, more commonly for 12-14 year olds than for 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)

A comparative study of children across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that of 500 school children aged 9-17 years, 44% reported having been beaten by their parents.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

A 1999 study by the Psychology Department at the University of Phnom Penh of 400 children aged 10-12 from randomly selected schools found that 58% had been beaten.

(Cited in Miles, G., 2003, “Exploring the attitude of Cambodian Children to violence including sexual abuse and trafficking”, unpublished paper)

The Household Survey on Domestic Violence in Cambodia for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in 1996 involved interviews with 2,764 households in six provinces. The majority (67.5%) believed they should hit their children as a disciplinary measure (women 71.6%, men 57.3%).

(Nelson, E. & Zimmerman, C., 1996, Household Survey on Domestic Violence in Cambodia, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Project Against Domestic Violence with the International Research Centre, Canada, cited in Miles, G., 2003, “Exploring the attitude of Cambodian Children to violence including sexual abuse and trafficking”, unpublished paper)

CAMEROON

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 75% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (43%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 56% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

According to a study on corporal punishment made by the NGO EMEDA with UNICEF support in December 2000, 81.4% of families admitted to using corporal punishment against children as an educational measure.

(Reported by UNICEF in correspondence with the Global Initiative, June 2004)

CANADA

In a sample of mothers of preschoolers in Manitoba, 59% reported having used physical punishment in the previous two weeks.

(Ateah, C. & Durrant, J. E., 2005, “Maternal use of physical punishment in response to child misbehavior: Implications for child abuse prevention”, Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, pp.177-193)

A survey of 1,000 people in an SES/Sun Media poll on the night before the Supreme Court ruling in January 2004 found that 64% support the use of force such as spanking by parents to discipline a child, though a wide majority oppose physical force being used by others. Support for spanking as a reasonable measure was highest in the West at 71% and Ontario at 62%. The lowest support was Quebec at 47%. Only 7% supported criminal charges for parents who spank their children; 7% also said that children should be removed from homes where their parents used spanking as corporal punishment; 5% supported both these measures.

(“Spanking poll backs ruling”, Winnipeg Sun, Manitoba, 1 February 2004)

In a sample of mothers of preschoolers in Manitoba and Ontario, 70% reported having used physical punishment at some time; one-third of those who used it did so at least once per week.

(Durrant, J. E., Rose-Krasnor, L. & Broberg, A., 2003, “Maternal beliefs about physical punishment in Sweden and Canada”, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, pp.586-604)

A 2002 survey found that 50% of parents reported that they or their spouse had “inflicted light corporal punishment, like a slap” on their children; 6% reported that they or their spouse had “inflicted painful corporal punishment”.

(Canadian Press and Leger Marketing, 2002, Child Abuse Report, Montreal, PQ: Canadian Press and Leger Marketing)

In a 2001 survey, 10% of parents reported that they use physical punishment when their children break the rules.

(Berger, E., 2001, National Report on Inter-Generation Abuse, Toronto, ON: Berger Population Health Monitor)

In a 2000 survey of university students in British Columbia and Manitoba, 75% reported having experienced parental physical punishment as children or adolescents. Of these, 37% reported being slapped on the head, 34% being hit with an object, and 18% being whipped.

(Ateah, C. & Parkin, C. M., 2002, “Childhood experiences with and current attitudes toward corporal punishment”, Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 21, pp.35-46)

In a 1999 survey of Quebec mothers, 48% reported having physically punished their children in the previous 12 months by pinching, shaking or hitting the child on the buttocks. Acts of severe violence such as shaking an infant, hitting a child on the face or head, punching, kicking or slapping, or hitting with an object within the previous 12 months were reported by 7% of mothers in the sample.

(Clément, M. E. et al., 2000, La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, Québec, PQ: Institut de la Statistique du Québec)

A national postal survey of households with children under the age of 6 years, completed by 1,643 parents (698 married mothers, 698 married fathers and 247 single mothers), was carried out in 1998-1999. Overall, 51% of parents reported using physical punishment occasionally or more often (1% “frequent”, 39% “rarely”, 11% “sometimes”); 49% reported never using it. There was no difference between mothers and fathers in the use of corporal punishment, but single mothers were less likely to use it than married parents, and parents with low education were more likely to use it than those with high levels of education. It was more often used for children aged 1-5 years, but 40% of parents of infants under the age of one year reported using physical punishment on their babies.

(Oldershaw, L., 2002, A national survey of parents of young children, Toronto: Invest in Kids Foundation)

In the 1998 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, 69% of substantiated physical abuse incidents were identified as cases of physical punishment.

(Trocmé, N. et al., 2001, Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, Ottawa, ON: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence)

In 1992, surveys on attitudes towards smacking were carried out in Toronto and Winnipeg. In the Toronto Area Survey, an annual survey carried out by the Institute for Social Research at York University, only one out of 229 respondents aged 18 years and over felt that physical discipline is never appropriate. In the Winnipeg Area Survey, an annual survey conducted by the Department of Sociology at the University of Manitoba, 30.4% of the 528 respondents aged 18 years and over were in favour of a law banning smacking, though if it were shown that the Swedish law had reduced injuries to children, this figure increased to 65.4%. About 25% felt that corporal punishment was never acceptable.

(Durrant, J., 1996, “Public attitudes toward corporal punishment in Canada”, in Frehsee, D., Horn, W. & Bussmann, K-D., eds, 1996, Family Violence Against Children, New York: Walter de Gruyter, pp.107-118)

In a sample of Ontario parents, 85% reported having slapped or spanked their children and 20% reported having hit their children with objects.

(Lenton, R. L., 1990, “Techniques of child discipline and abuse by parents”, Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology, 27, pp. 157-184)

In a 1988 survey, 21% of parents reported that they use physical punishment (19% occasionally, 2% often or very often).

(Decima Research Inc., 1988, Report to the Institute for the Prevention of Child Abuse on a nation-wide survey of attitudes toward child rearing, Toronto, ON: Decima Research Inc.)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 74% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (23%) believed that children need to be physically punished.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

CHILE

A 2006 survey by the Association of Chileans for the United Nations, together with Save the Children Switzerland, found that many parents admitted to frequent use of corporal punishment, most commonly in families of lower socio-economic status, and more commonly mothers than fathers; most also expressed concern about physical violence.

(Soledad Salazar Medina, 2006, Estilos de crianza y cuidado infantile en Santiago de Chile: Algus reflexiones para comprender la violencia educative en la familia, Associacion Chilena Pro Naciones Unidas – ACHNU – PRODENI. Reported in The Santiago Times, 15 November 2006)

Research reported in 2000 involving interviews with 160 young people in conflict with the law found that 81% characterised their treatment by police as bad, 7% as average and 12% as good, contrasting with the situation once actually in custody where 11.3% said the treatment was bad, 27% average and 61.7% good. The most common forms of police abuse were repeated kicking (120 cases), followed by drenching with hoses (33), suffocation (27), hanging naked from a tree (17), forcing the head into a bucket of water (14), and the use of electric prods (11).

(Jimenez, M. A., 2000, Adolescent Detainees and Minor’s Justice, UDP, cited in World Organisation Against Torture et al., 2004, State violence in Chile: An alternative report to the UN Committee Against Torture, OMCT)

In 1994, a survey of 423 parents from two public schools and 104 parents from a private catholic school found that child battering was admitted by 80.4% in the public schools group and 57% in the private schools group. This was confirmed by surveys of 192 students which revealed that 85% of children at one of the public schools and 54% at the private school reported having been physically punished. Striking with the hand was the most frequent form of corporal punishment, but 23.8% of the private school children questioned reported being beaten with a belt.

(Vargas, N., et al., 1995, “Parental attitude and practice regarding physical punishment of school children in Santiago de Chile”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.19, no.9, pp.1077-1082)

(Reported in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

CHINA

In a pilot questionnaire survey in 2004 of 528 students from a college and a technical secondary school in Hebie province, 57.6% of students reported having received corporal punishment on at least one occasion. A similar number (53.4%) reported receiving “non-contact” corporal punishment by teachers when aged below 16 year, including running, standing, kneeling etc; 16.1% reported hitting/kicking/pushing very hard with open hands or another part of the body; 10.2% reported beating with an object; and 0.2% reported being locked in a cupboard or tied with a rope. No significant correlation was found between corporal punishment and residence (rural or non-rural), parental education or number of children in the family.

(Jing-qi, C., Chun-mei, W., Dunne, M.P., Yu-xia, M., Bo, C. Yi-huai, L. & Ya-jie, 2006, “A retrospective survey of childhood corporal punishment by school teachers in students”, Chinese Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 44 (1), in press)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 14% of those surveyed in China reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 4% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

A questionnaire survey on attitudes to physical punishment of 331 child health professionals in Eastern China, found that 97% believed corporal punishment to be widely used by Chinese parents. More than three out of four (76%) stated that they themselves generally disapproved of physical punishment, with younger respondents significantly more likely to disapprove than older respondents; 86% regarded physical punishment to be equally appropriate for girls and boys and 3% approved of the use of an implement. However, when asked specific questions about the age at which physical punishment was acceptable, only 43% indicated that it was unacceptable at any age. Physical punishment was regarded as more acceptable for 4-13 year-olds than children of other ages.

(Hesketh, T., Hong, Z. S. & Lynch, M. A., 2000, “Child abuse in China: the views and experiences of child health professionals”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.6, pp.867-872)

Research interviews with 57 Tibetan children conducted by a team of psychologists and lawyers in 1999 found that corporal punishment was routinely employed in primary schools in Tibet, and that in administering the punishment teachers beat children with sticks, bamboo staffs, whips, wires, brooms and belts, and children were made to endure uncomfortable physical positions.

(International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet, 2001, A Generation in Peril: The Lives of Children Under Chinese Rule, reported in Tibet Justice Center, 2005, Violence, discrimination and neglect towards Tibetan children, NGO Alternative report to the CRC)

A questionnaire survey in 1998 of 483 school children in grades 4-6 studied personal opinions on corporal punishment and experience of violence by family members, school teachers or peers in the last year. Rates of corporal punishment by teachers were 51.1%, while rates of violence in the family were 70.6%.

(Kim, D-H., Kim, K-I. & Park, Y-C., 2000, “Children’s experience of violence in China and Korea: A transcultural study”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.9, pp.1163-1173)

Interviews with 50 refugee Tibetan children who had previously attended schools in Tibet found that corporal punishment was common and brutal. Almost half (47%) of those interviewed who had visited a primary school said they had experienced degrading, humiliating or brutal forms of corporal punishment. It was reported as being less common in mangstug schools (locally sponsored primary schools), which employ mainly Tibetan teachers, than in zhungtsug schools (Government sponsored primary schools), which rely more on Chinese teachers. The children also reported that Tibetan students were punished more harshly than Chinese students.

(Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 1997, The Next Generation – The state of education in Tibet today, available at www.tibet.com/Humanrights/EduToday/intro.html)

COLOMBIA

As part of a study of the impact of publicly funded early childhood education centres in Bogotá, the kinds of punishments used on children were examined. Interviews were carried out with 97 fathers and mothers and 97 children aged 5-6 years, in which 63% of parents reported seldom using physical punishment and 1% reported using it a lot. Of those who said they smacked their children, 47% said they used their hand, 44% a belt, 10% a slipper or shoe, and 2% a paddle or broom. In the four months prior to the interviews, the most recent punishment had been smacking for 32% and scolding for 11%. Interviews with the children revealed higher incidences of corporal punishment, including 83% reporting punishment by smacking. Various ways of being hit were reported by the children, including with a belt (70%), the hand (31%), a slipper (27%), a whip (5%), a paddle (5%), a shoe (5%), and a switch (3%). Reasons given for punishment included disobedience (27%), not doing homework or poor performance at school (29%) and talking back or being rude (12%).

(Pineda, N. et al., 2005, Evaluación de Algunas Modalidades de Atención a la Primera Infancia en el ICBF y el DABS, Bogotá, Cinde, Save the Children UK, UNICEF, Colombian Institute for Family Welfare and Bogotá Social Welfare Department, reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children – Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

In a study reported in 2000 focusing on male perpetrators of physical child abuse, an analysis of reported cases of physical abuse, ranging from single bruises to third degree burns on children aged 0-17 years, found that in 80% of cases it was not the first time the abuse had occurred and in 55% similar incidents had occurred during the previous year. Nine out of ten (91%) of abusers had been physically punished as children; 58% felt the punishments had been justified. 62% of abusers used their hands, 66% used implements, and 17% kicked or punched their victims.

(Klevens et al., 2000, “Risk factors and context of men who physically abuse in Bogota”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.3, pp.323-332)

In 2000, Profamilia carried out the National Demographic and Health Survey of 11,585 women aged 15-49 years, which looked at the kinds of punishments used by men and women. The study found that mothers were reported as punishing more than fathers, with less smacking and more scolding the higher the level of education. Punishments included smacking (47% by mothers, 42% by fathers or stepfathers), spanking (35% by mothers, 27% by fathers or stepfathers) and scolding (72% by mothers, 73% by fathers or stepfathers).

(Profamilia, 2000, Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud, Bogotá, reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children – Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)
International Save the Children report available at: www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandabuse/Corporalpunishment/1415+Publications.htm

A survey in 1996 on the situation of children and adolescents, carried out by the National Department of Statistics (DANE) found that corporal punishment using a belt was practised in 16% of households; smacking or pinching was used in 13.3% of households; scolding and reprimanding in 39.7%; yelling and threats in 10.6%, and emotional blackmail (indifference and silence) in 5.5%.

(National Department of Statistics, Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, & National Department of Planning, 1996, Encuesta sobre la Ninez y la Adolescencia en Colombia, Bogotá, reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children – Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)
International Save the Children report available www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandabuse/Corporalpunishment/1415+Publications.htm

COSTA RICA

In 2003, a survey by the Paniamor Foundation of 1,034 school children aged 9-16 years found that nearly half (47.8%) experienced physical punishment occasionally in the home, while 4.2% experienced it frequently, more so for boys than girls in both cases; 11% said they had been punished in the past 15 days. The reasons given for being punished were mainly concerned with correcting behaviour: “they behave badly” (71.5%), “they don’t do as they are told” (22.7%), “to educate” (5.8%). Most punishment was administered by parents (mother 78%, father 77%), but was also given by grandparents (20%), older siblings (20%), uncles (19%), caregivers (16%), teachers (12%), domestic workers (9%), and the school principal (8%). When asked how they feel when they are punished, the most frequent responses were sadness (79.2%), pain (56.7%), fear (42.6%), guilt (39.8%) and loneliness (37.1%). The large majority of children viewed corporal punishment negatively, with almost two out of five children saying it is very bad and almost a third saying that people should not be punished in this way.

(Paniamor Foundation/Save the Children Sweden, 2004, “National Survey of Children and Adolescents on Physical Punishment”, part of project “Prevencion de la Violencia desde la Familia y la Adolescencia”, presented at Costa Rica, March 2004)

Interviews with parents in 1997 found that one in ten mothers and fathers always hit their child when she or he did wrong, six in ten sometimes; almost a quarter reported never hitting. Asked about objects used to hit their children, 41.8% of mothers and fathers said they always used a belt, 12.2% sometimes used a rope or cord, 52.5% always or sometimes used their hand, and 8.1% used a cane. One in ten said they punished their children every day and over a third said once a week.

(Barrantes, Z., Castillo, E. & Ortega, X., 1997, “Problems of child aggression and the role of the administrator teacher in the one-teacher (unidocente) schools of Circuit 1 of the Guapiles Regional Education Management in 1997”, Latina University, cited in paper on draft law abolition of physical punishment of children and adolescents, presented in Costa Rica, March 2004)

COTE D’IVOIRE

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 71% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (39%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 65% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

CROATIA

Research into the experiences of 310 high school students in 10 schools, carried out in 2001, found that 59% had experienced occasional slapping or hitting before the age of 14, and 16% had occasionally been spanked or beaten. For 5% of respondents, slapping or hitting was experienced frequently, and 3% experienced frequent spanking and beating.

(Fabijanić, S., Flander, G. B. & Karlović, A., 2002, Epidemiological study on the prevalence of the child abuse experience among high school students of Sisačko-Moslavačka Županija, Zagreb: Centre for Child Protection)

In research into the prevalence of various forms of family violence experienced by 1,146 university students, published in 2003, 93.4% reported experiencing physical abuse (from slapping to heavy beating) before the age of 18 years, with 27.2% reporting physical injury (from bruises to fractures). The same questionnaire given to 698 primary and secondary school pupils found that up to 86% reported experiencing physical abuse with injuries in up to 32% of cases.

(Pecnik, N., 2003, Intergenerational transmission of child abuse (in Croatian), Slap: Jastrebarsko)

A survey of 505 university students reported in 2001 revealed that up to 25% had experienced physical abuse, including corporal punishment.

(Karlović, A., Gabelica, D. & Vranić, A., 2001, “Validacija upitnika o zlostavljanju u djetinjstvu I procjena incidencije zlostavljanja u djetinjstvu na uzorku zagrebačkih studenata”, XV, Dani Ramira Bujasa, Zagreb, Odsjek za psihologiju. Filozofski fakultet)

CYPRUS

An attitudinal survey in 2000 by the Advisory Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family found that of 1,000 interviewees, 15% believed smacking to be a socially acceptable method of child discipline.

(Cited in Boyson, R., 2002, Equal Protection for Children: An overview of the experience of countries that accord children full protection from physical punishment, London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)

CZECH REPUBLIC

A 2006 public opinion poll by Median agency for the daily Mladá fronta Dnes found that 25% of the 636 respondents supported the use of corporal punishment in schools, more commonly among respondents aged 45-50 years than among those with school aged children.

(Reported in The Prague Post, 20 June 2007)

A 1994 study of 886 children aged 10-11 years revealed that only one in ten had not experienced corporal punishment, and one in three had experienced severe corporal punishment.

(Vanickova, E., 1994, Physical punishment or physical violence?, Prague: Czech Society for Child Protection)

DENMARK

A survey in 2000 by the National Institute of Social Research found that 12% of 3 year-olds were spanked “sometimes” or “seldom”, contrasting with a survey by the same Institute in 1968 which found that 40.2% of children aged 9-12 years were hit “sometimes”. Milder physical violence such as slaps on the fingers and hard gripping of the arms was more prevalent.

(Cited in Boyson, R., 2002, Equal Protection for Children: An overview of the experience of countries that accord children full legal protection from physical punishment, London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)

Attitudinal research in 1997 found that 57% of parents were against the use of corporal punishment.

(Invargsen, B., 1999, “Denmark: Backing a clear ban on physical punishment with promotion of positive discipline”, Journal of Child Centred Practice, vol. 7, no. 2, pp.79-85)

A survey of 1,000 adults in 1988 revealed over 50% opposing corporal punishment.

(Varming, O., 1988, “Attitudes to Children”, doctoral dissertation, Copenhagen: Royal Danish School of Educational Studies)

A Gallup poll in 1984 found 25% of public opinion in favour of prohibition of corporal punishment.

(Cited in Newell, P., 1989, Children Are People Too: The Case Against Physical Punishment, London: Bedford Square Press)

DJIBOUTI

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 62% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (32%) believed that children need to be physically punished.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

ECUADOR

In survey research in December 2000 on the situation of children in households, 40% of children reported that their parents hit them as a “disciplinary” measure. More than half the children in households in rural mountain areas and indigenous households reported ill-treatment by their parents (55% and 63% respectively). Almost half (49%) of those in households below the poverty line described their parents’ behaviour as violent or punitive, compared with 34% in households above the poverty line. Ill-treatment by teachers as a response to misbehaviour was reported by 20% of children. Children in rural areas were more likely than those in cities to be punished by having recreation withheld or by receiving blows or insults or being ridiculed (25% compared with 17%), and boys were more frequently ill-treated than girls (21% compared with 18%). Ill-treatment by teachers was more common for children from households below the poverty line (22%) than those not considered poor (16%), and almost a third of indigenous children (29%) reported having been ill-treated by teachers. One in ten children reported being hit by teachers, with twice as many boys in rural areas as in cities being hit (14% compared with 7%).

(EMEDINHO/National Statistics and Census Institute/Ministry of Social Welfare/National Institute for Children and the Family/Centre for Population Studies and Social Development, reported in Children Now, Ecuador Integrated System of Social Indicators, cited in second and third combined periodic state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2004, CRC/C/65/Add.28, paras. 156, 173-176, and third report to the Committee Against Torture, 2003, CAT/C/39/Add.6, paras. 256-259)

EGYPT

A study of 2,170 preparatory and secondary school students aged 10-20 years in 14 government schools in Alexandria in 1996-7, using a self-administered questionnaire, looked at corporal punishment in schools and in the home. Almost four out of five boys (79.96%) and 61.53% of girls reported corporal punishment by teachers during one year using hands, sticks, straps, shoes and kicks; more than a quarter of boys and 18% of girls reported that beatings caused injuries. Over 37% of children were beaten in the home by parents as a form of discipline and some were also burned (4.18%) or tied (0.37%). For over 25%, physical injuries resulted such as fractures, loss of consciousness and permanent disability; for 61% injuries included bumps and contusions as well as wounds (53%). For 23% the injuries required medical consultation. Corporal punishment was most commonly used against preparatory school aged children, and was increasingly likely the lower the educational attainment of the father and the larger the family size.

(Youssef, R. M. et al., 1998, “Children experiencing violence I: Parental use of corporal punishment”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.22, no.10, pp.959-973; Youssef, M. S. A. & Kamel, M. I., 1998, “Children experiencing violence II: Prevalence and determinants of corporal punishment in schools”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.22, no.10, pp.975-985)

As part of the World Studies of Abuse in the Family Environment (WorldSAFE) cross-national project, researchers looked at incidence rates for corporal punishment as self-reported by mothers covering the period of the previous 6 months. In Egypt, the most frequently reported forms of “severe physical punishment” were hitting the child with an object not on the buttocks (26%) and beating (25%); the most common forms of “moderate physical punishment” were shaking (59%), pinching (45%) and slapping the face or head (41%).

(Reported in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

In the National Survey of Youth and Social Changes in 1999, 54% of youths at schools said teachers usually beat them. This was more common for boys than girls (61% and 46% respectively), for younger than older students (61% and 39%) and for students in rural areas than in urban areas (57% and 50%).

(Cited in Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners, The Truth: Official Response to the Government of Egypt’s Report to the UN Human Rights Committee)

ESTONIA

Surveys were conducted following “Stop Child Spanking” media campaigns in 1995, 1997 and 2000, which aimed to change public opinion on spanking children. In 2000, the research company EMOR questioned 505 adults and found that the campaign was noticed by 79% of respondents (compared with 67% in 1995). In 1995 and 2000, just over four out of ten respondents continued to support the use of corporal punishment (42% and 41% respectively); the percentage of those opposing corporal punishment appeared to fall, from 58% in 1995 to 55% in 2000.

(Reported in Government response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, 2005)

Research carried out in 2000 into child abuse in the family surveyed 874 children aged 14-16 years and found that one third had experienced slight physical abuse (pinching, poking), and 16% severe abuse (biting, beating with hand or instrument).

(Soo, K. & Soo, I., 2001, “Epidemiological Survey for Preventing Child Abuse Estonia”, Tartu: Support Centre for Abused Children)

ETHIOPIA

A survey of 485 young women in Ethiopia aged 18-24 years concerning their childhood experiences of violence, undertaken by the Africa Child Policy Forum and published in 2006, found that 84% had suffered one or more types of violence. Beating with an object was found to be the most prevalent form of physical violence (71.1%). Prevalence figures for other forms of physical abuse were 59.5% for punching, 43.3% kicking, 28.6% being forced to carry out hard work, 12.4% being choked/burned/stabbed, 10.9% having spicy/bitter food put into mouth, 9.7% being locked up, and 8.3% being denied food. Girls were found to be most vulnerable to beating with an object when aged 10-13 years (59.4%) and to being hit/punched when aged 14-17 years (58.4%). Experiencing the violence more than ten times was more likely in the case of beating than other types of physical violence except for hard work. Most beating with an object and hitting/punching was carried out by mothers (45.2% and 27.2% respectively), followed by fathers (39.1% and 21.5%) and brothers (23.9% and 24%). In 55.5% of cases, the hitting/punching resulted in “bruises or scratches, broken bones or teeth, or bleeding”; the corresponding figure for beating with an object was 32.2%. The most frequent reasons given to the girls by the perpetrators of the violence were reported as doing something wrong, disrupting the home/class, going out without permission or coming in late, failing to complete an assignment, refusing to accept a proposal for love or sex, giving a confrontational reply, and going out with men.

(Stavropoulos, J., 2006, Violence Against Girls in Africa: A Retrospective Survey in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, Addis Ababa, The African Child Policy Forum)

In a study in which 1,223 children from five regions were interviewed, only 17 children (1.4%) stated that they had never experienced corporal punishment in the home.

(African Child Policy Forum on Violence Against Children & Save the Children Sweden, 2005, Report on Violence against Children, cited in Government response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, 2005)

In other research, reported in 1997, 21% of urban schoolchildren and 64% of rural schoolchildren reported bruises or swellings on their bodies resulting from parental punishment.

(Ketsela, T. & Kedebe, D., 1997, “Physical punishment of elementary school children in urban and rural communities in Ethiopia”, Ethiopian Medical Journal, vol.35, pp.23-33, cited in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organisation)

Research undertaken by Radda Barnen Ethiopia indicated that more than 90% of students were punished by their teachers, although 70% of teachers were aware of the negative effects of corporal punishment. Of teachers surveyed, 50% did not believe in the effectiveness of corporal punishment and 80% indicated their willingness to attend programmes on alternative disciplinary methods.

(Tsegaye, C., 1995-6, “Pilot study on Ethiopian attitudes towards the physical punishment of children and its prevalence in schools”, Radda Barnen Ethiopia; Radda Barnen, 1998, “Spare the rod and spoil the child – a survey on attitudes towards physical punishment among Ethiopian students, parents and teachers”, Addis Ababa)

In light of the previously mentioned study and the Constitutional prohibition of corporal punishment in schools in effect from 1995, workshops were organised over a period of three years, and a follow-up study was undertaken to assess their impact. This study involved 907 teachers and 510 students from 40 government, public and private religious primary schools across Addis Ababa completing questionnaires, and interviews with people working in the education bureau. The information gathered on the frequency of corporal punishment over a period of one week showed a decline in comparison with the earlier study, from 90% three years ago to less than 20%. The types of punishments reported were hitting with a stick (27% teachers, 28% students), slapping (7% teachers, 25% students), pinching the ear (21% teachers, 13% students), punching (3% teachers, 8% students), kneeling down (54% teachers, 57% students), hitting on the head (19% teachers, 31% students), belting (5% teachers, 13% students) and whipping (14% teachers, 21% students).

(Radda Barnen, 2002, Spare the Rod – Raise a Healthy Child, Addis Ababa)

In a survey of 1,000 street children interviewed in government sponsored research in 1992, 28% reported being on the streets because of family problems at home, and one third of the boys experienced being beaten at least once a week on the streets.

(Lalor, K. J., 1999, “Street children: a comparative perspective”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.23, no.8)

FIJI

Large scale comparative research into the views and experiences of 3,322 children and 1,000 adults in 8 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Viet Nam) was carried out by Save the Children in 2005. The research in Fiji involved 536 children (244 boys, 292 girls) aged 10-17 years from urban, semi-urban and rural areas, and 101 adults (49 men and 52 women, teachers in the schools and members of four community settlements in the Central Division). The research team led 51 sessions with the children, boys and girls separately, split into two age groups – 10-13 years and 14-17 years. Methods used included research diaries, drawings, body maps, attitude survey, sentence completion, and discussions. Most punishments experienced by children were direct assaults, more frequently for younger children, including being beaten, hit, slapped or lashed, smacked, whacked, given a hiding, spanked, punched, “donged” (on the head) and pinched. Nine out of ten boys aged 10-13 years and almost eight out of ten aged 14-17 years reported the use of physical punishments; 71% of girls in both age groups reported this. More punishment was administered by immediate family members (parents 48%) than by teachers (45%); for all girls and younger boys, most punishments were experienced in the home; for older boys the majority of punishment happened at school. Reasons for punishment included disobedience, unsatisfactory academic performance and misbehaviour. In response to the statement “After I punish a child I feel unhappy”, 38% of adults disagreed, 57% agreed, and 5% had no opinion.

(Save the Children, 2006, The Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children in Fiji: A research report, Suva, Save the Children Fiji. See also Beazley, H., S. Bessell, et al., 2006, What Children Say: Results of comparative research on the physical and emotional punishment of children in Southeast Asia and Pacific, 2005, Stockholm, Save the Children Sweden)

Interviews with parents and teachers conducted for Pacific Children’s Program by a team from the University of South Pacific found that corporal punishment of children is administered by parents, guardians and elders and takes many forms, including beating or using a belt or rod; hitting and punching the head with the hand or an object; inserting fingers down a child’s mouth until the child gags; tying a child up in a sack and hanging from a tree; and whipping with a stick or rope.

(Vakoati, P. & Finekaso, G., 2002, Qualitative Study on Child Protection Practices: Fiji Report, University of South Pacific, Report prepared for International Development Support Services, Pacific Children’s Program)

A study by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre found that 80% of respondents had witnessed someone being beaten in the home. More than half (57%) of those described by respondents as victims of violence in the home were daughters and sons; 19.5% of those most frequently beaten were children; 81.2% of male respondents and 75.8% of female respondents reported being hit by their parents.

(FWCC, 2001, The incidence, prevalence and nature of domestic violence and sexual assault in Fiji: a research project of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Suva, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. Cited in Save the Children, 2006, The Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children in Fiji: A research report, Suva, Save the Children Fiji)

FINLAND

A nationwide survey of 1,000 people aged 15 to 79, commissioned by the Central Union of Child Welfare and conducted by the research company Taloustutkimus, found that one in four considers physical discipline of children to be acceptable at least in exceptional situations, representing an improvement from approval of corporal punishment by one in three in 2004. But the study found a high prevalence of corporal punishment, with 73% of women and 68% of men reporting that they had sometimes used physical punishment.

(Reported in Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 28 September 2007)

A 1992 questionnaire survey of 7,400 students aged 15-16 years found that 72% had occasionally experienced mild corporal punishment (pushing and shoving, hair-pulling, slapping, beating with a switch) by their parents. More severe corporal punishment (using other implements, hitting with fist or kicking, threats with weapons) was reported by 8%.

(Sariola, H. & Uutela, A., 1992, “The Prevalence and Context of Family Violence Against Children in Finland”, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 16, pp. 823-832)

FRANCE

A survey by the Union of Families in Europe (UFE) of 2,000 grandparents, parents and children found that 95% of adults and 96% of children have been smacked. 84% of grandparents and 87% of parents have administered corporal punishment. One in ten parents admitted to punishing their children with a “martinet” (a small whip); 30% of children said they had been punished with a martinet. When asked the reason for smacking their children, parents said it was part of “bringing up” their children (77%), it was to “relieve their feelings” (7%) or both of these things. When asked how they planned to discipline their own children when they become parents, 64 per cent of French children responded “the same”. 61% of grandparents and 53% of parents said that they oppose a ban on corporal punishment of children.

(Reported in The Scotsman, 8 December 2007)

A questionnaire survey by Olivier Maurel completed by 130 secondary school pupils in Toulon in 2001 found that fewer than one in ten had never been hit; 72 pupils reported having been hit moderately, 19 violently.

(Reported by Olivier Maurel in correspondence with the Global Initiative, January 2004)

A survey of 1,000 people, carried out in 1999 by SOFRES for the organisation “Eduquer sans frapper”, found that over half (51%) of respondents who had children hit them often, a third hit them rarely, and only 16% had never hit them. Mothers were more likely to report hitting their children than fathers. Almost a half of those questioned (45% ) believed that corporal punishment has a negative effect on children’s development.

(Reported by Olivier Maurel in correspondence with the Global Initiative, January 2004)

A 1985 study of parents found that 59% used physical force as an “educational” method, though 72% believed that this should be only in exceptional circumstances. The most common form was smacking on the bottom (34%), but almost a third (29.5%) had shaken their children, a quarter had used slaps, and just over one in ten (11.3%) had used other physical methods.

(Legal, J., 1999, “Corporal punishment or physical intervention”, Journal of Youth Law, no. 185)

GAMBIA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 71% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (31%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 74% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

GEORGIA

A study in 2000 by the Red Cross Committee of Georgia on child abuse and physical and psychological violence against children in the family, institutions (schools, study groups, sport groups) and neighbourhoods involved structured interviews with 4,382 children aged 6-17 years. Almost two in five (39.2%) reported being subject to corporal punishment within the family, mostly by the mother. Almost a third (31.8%) reported experiencing physical punishment in schools, predominantly (in 96% of cases) by school teachers.

(Red Cross Committee of Georgia, 2000, “Child Abuse and Neglect”, Red Cross/UNICEF)

GERMANY

Research published in 1999 involved interviews with 16,190 children aged 14-15 years about their experiences of corporal punishment. Over two fifths (43%) reported that they had never been hit; 47% reported being smacked occasionally; 10% reported more severe corporal punishment.

(Pfeiffer, C. & Wetzels, P., 1999, “Use of physical punishment within families against children and the consequences”, unofficial translation by Goodall, K. & Taverner, K. at National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, UK)

Government research was undertaken in 2001 and published in 2003 into the reception and initial impact of the prohibition of corporal punishment in childrearing in November 2000. Interviews were held nationwide with 3,000 parents of children below 18 years and 2,000 young people aged 12-18 years. Surveys were also administered to 1,074 government and nongovernmental institutions, with 30 representatives of relevant institutions interviewed in depth. The research found that around 28% of parents rarely resorted to disciplinary sanctions and “as far as possible” did not use corporal punishment; 54% frequently used “minor” but never “serious” corporal punishment (such as beatings and spankings); 17% frequently used “serious” corporal punishment, including beatings and spankings, as well as psychological punishments. Boys were more commonly hit than girls, and more commonly experienced “serious” corporal punishment. Based on parents’ reports, in comparison with previous studies the report notes a substantial decrease in corporal punishment at all degrees of severity. For example, in 1996 a third of parents (33.2%) reported they had hit their child’s bottom, compared with just over a quarter (26.4%) in 2001.

(Federal Ministry of Justice & Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, 2003, Violence in upbringing: An assessment after the introduction of the right to a non-violent upbring)

GHANA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 69% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (43%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 47% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

GREECE

As part of a large scale study initiated by researchers from the National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives (NCSCPA), a questionnaire was administered to 546 university students in Athens and Thessalonili, of which 73% recalled receiving corporal punishment at home. The most common types of corporal punishment were recalled as spanking on the buttocks with an open hand (54%), smacking or slapping on the hand, arm or leg (45%) and smacking or slapping on the face, head or ears (31%). Other types included hair pulling (17%), hitting with an object (17%), pinching (9%), shaking (9%), arm twisting (6%) and whipping (3%).

(Halkias, D. et al., 2001, “Conducting a cross cultural study of corporal punishment: The Greek researcher’s perspective”, paper presented at the National Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA, August 2001)

In 1998, a nationwide survey looked in part at the frequency and types of corporal punishment in families. Of the 417 parents with at least one child enrolled in daycare answering the question on parenting practices, 85.36% reported using corporal punishment “when necessary” but not daily.

(Damianaki et al., 1998. Cited in Halkias, D. et al., 2001, “Conducting a cross cultural study of corporal punishment: The Greek researcher’s perspective”, paper presented at the National Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA, August 2001)

Research carried out between 1994 and 1997 at the Department of Family Relations in the Institute of Child Health in Athens, involving 591 structured interviews with mothers of 6 year-old and 12 year-old schoolchildren, revealed that 65.5% of mothers used physical punishment to discipline their children, with mothers of 6 year-olds three times more likely to use such punishment than mothers of 12 year-olds. 62% of mothers believed that physical punishment is used by most parents, and 82% believed that at least half of all parents hit their children. Of those children physically punished, 4% suffered minor injuries and 1.2% suffered injuries needing stitches and/or hospitalisation.

(Fereti, I. & Stavrianki, M., 1997, “The use of physical punishment in the Greek family: selected socio-demographic aspects”, International Journal of Child and Family Welfare, vol. 3, pp.206-216; Fereti, I., 2002, “Initiatives to reduce and prevent corporal punishment of children within the family in Greece”, Athens: Institute of Child Health)

In 1996, interviews with 423 police officers (including 208 who were parents) about their childhood experiences, attitudes and parental practices regarding corporal punishment, found that one in two reported receiving corporal punishment as children. Two in three believed that “sometimes hitting is needed” to discipline a child, and 64% reported using corporal punishment to discipline their own children.

(Maragos, Agathonos-Georgakopoulou & Nova, 1997. Cited in Halkias, D. et al., 2001, “Conducting a cross cultural study of corporal punishment: The Greek researcher’s perspective”, paper presented at the National Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA, August 2001)

A 1993 study found that of 8,158 children aged 7 years, one in three (37.7%) was spanked at least once a week and one in six (18%) daily.

(Agathonos-Georgopoulou, H., 1997, “Child Maltreatment in Greece: A Review of Research”, Child Abuse Review, vol. 6, pp.257-271)

A study in 1979 found that 82.4% of mothers admitted punishing their children, with many using more than one method of punishment, including 49.3% who used physical punishment and other forms of violence.

(Zarnari, 1979, cited in Halkias, D. et al., 2001, “Conducting a cross cultural study of corporal punishment: The Greek researcher’s perspective”, paper presented at the National Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA, August 2001)

GUATEMALA

Unofficial visits to the Observation Centre for Boys and the Observation Centre for Girls, together with interviews with previously detained children, carried out by Human Rights Watch and published in 1997, revealed persistent and widespread use of corporal punishment and abuse of children in detention, particularly at the hands of the Spanish organisation Rehabilitacion de los Marginados (REMAR) governing the boys’ detention facility for serious or repeat offenders.

(Human Rights Watch, 1997, Guatemala’s Forgotten Children: Police violence and abuses in detention, New York: Human Rights Watch)

GUINEA-BISSAU

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 70% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (25%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 52% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

GUYANA

In June 2007, the Minister of Education Shaik Baksh announced that the Ministry had conducted a survey on the use of corporal punishment in schools which found that 53% of schools use corporal punishment as a means of maintaining discipline and 47% do not. Phase two of this survey would focus on finding out what are the factors that lead to these schools not using corporal punishment, the performance of the students, the level of violence in the schools and other factors.

(Reported in Stabroek News, 8 June 2007)

In February 2005, government-commissioned research was published based on accounts of almost 4,000 children aged 3-17 years about their experiences of violence in home, schools and the wider community. Corporal punishment was the fourth most commonly mentioned type of abuse (45%), after fighting, killing/murder and beating/beating-up, and various types of corporal punishment were mentioned by just under half the groups in every area (43-50%). Of those interviewed (aged 7-17), 87% had received corporal punishment of some kind (licks, lashes, beating) at least once in the home and 81% had been beaten or hit with a belt, cane, whip or other object; children as young as 3 years reported being disciplined by their parents with an object. There was no difference relating to gender, ethnicity or geographical area. One third (33%) of children described physical punishments leading to injury (bleeding skin, broken bones, blacking out). Corporal punishment as most commonly reported as being inflicted by mothers. Over a quarter (27%) of children in the children’s homes visited reported being physically hurt by a caregiver in the home, and a similar number reported being physically punished by staff at the New Opportunity Corps training school.

(Cabral, C. & Speek-Warnery, V., 2005, Voices of Children: Experiences with Violence, Georgetown: Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security/ Red Thread Women’s Development Programme/ UNICEF-Guyana)

A survey in 1998 of 250 women on their experiences of childhood abuse found that 92% reported being beaten sometimes and often as children. When asked whether and how children should be punished, the most common response was by hitting, slapping and/or lashing. Of the 42.5% who answered a question on the age at which hitting should begin, most indicated that toddler and pre-school ages were most appropriate; 16.9% stated that hitting should begin when children are aged 1-2 years; 16.7% indicated when children are school aged (6 and over); 5.1% felt hitting should begin for babies aged 6-12 months, 2.9% from birth. Around 70% of the women who had children reported hitting them.

(Red Thread Women’s Development Programme, 1998, Women Researching Women, Georgetown: Inter-American Development Bank, cited in NGO Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2003)

In an interview survey of 1,200 pupils aged 9-17 in 24 secondary schools, 56.1% reported being whipped by their teachers (55.7% boys, 57.8% girls), using branches from trees, pieces of wood, rulers, metal strips from old tables and other parts of old school furniture, or hands. 18% reported being made to kneel down by teachers, 20.2% being shaken, and 26.3% being slapped. 26.2% reported suffering injuries as a result of abuse by teachers.

(Gill-Marshall, 2000, “Child Abuse in Guyana: A study of teacher abuse of children”, University of Guyana Thesis, cited in NGO Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2003)

A campaign was launched in 2004 by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child in primary and secondary schools in Georgetown to find out children’s views on corporal punishment. The survey found that 3,645 children in primary schools were in favour of corporal punishment, with 2,043 against it. In secondary schools, 932 children were in favour of corporal punishment compared with 1,335 against.

(Reported in “Culture of beating children goes deep – workshop on alternatives told”, Stabroek News, 17 June 2004, at www.landofsixpeoples.com/news402/ns406174.htm)

HAITI

Research by Amnesty International found that despite the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools, it was commonly reported, including the use of whips, beatings with electric cables, and forcing children to kneel in the sun.

(Amnesty International, 2008, Safe Schools: Every girl’s right)

In UNICEF’s Voices of Children survey, 14% of children reported living in a family where there were scenes of violence and aggression. Four in ten (40%) said they were hit or beaten when they behaved badly, the figure even higher among rural children aged 9-13 years.

(Reported in Government response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, 2005)

HONG KONG (China Special Administrative Region)

In 2006, the results of the first household survey on domestic violence were reported. The survey was commissioned by Hong Kong Social Welfare Department and carried out by the University of Hong Kong, and involved interviews with 5,049 adults and 2,062 children aged 12-17 years. About 44% of the parents admitted having administered corporal punishment and physical violence on their children. Of these, 32% said they had used violence on their children at least once during the past 12 months.

(Reported in Xinhua, 2006, “Hong Kong University Calls to Ban Corporal Punishment”, CRIENGLISH.com, 2 March 2006, http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/811/2006/03/02/176@56844.htm; Yung, C., 2006, “Group seeks to outlaw corporal punishment”, The Standard, 2 March 2006)

In 2003, the Hong Kong Christian Service conducted an interview survey of 2,956 parents of adolescents from 17 secondary schools concerning their feelings when disciplining their children. Around 10% said they would resort to corporal punishment “frequently” or “periodically”.

(Hong Kong Christian Service, 2003, “Survey on parenting”, Christian Service News, vol. 41, October, cited in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

A questionnaire survey of 489 secondary school students found that 4.5% reported having received corporal punishment from family members during the previous 6 months, 10.9% reported having been beaten for no reason by family members during that time, and 10.4% reported that they had ever been beaten to the point of injury by family members.

(Lau, J.T.F., Chan, K.K., Lam, P.K.W., Choi, P.Y.W. & Lai, K.Y.C., 2003, “Psychological correlates of physical abuse in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 27, pp.63-75)

A prevalence study was undertaken of corporal punishment by parents of 3,355 children (51.5% boys, 48.5% girls) in 12 secondary schools in Kwai Tsing District. Through questionnaires completed in class, students were asked whether they had received corporal punishment from their parents in the past 3 months, whether they had been beaten by their parents for no apparent reason in that time, and whether they had been beaten to the point of injury by family members in that time. In their responses, 4.9% reported corporal punishment, 2% reported being beaten for no apparent reason, and 1.1% being beaten to injury by family members. The younger the respondents, the more likely they were to have received corporal punishment.

(Lau, J.T.F., Liu, J.L.Y. & Cheung, J.C.K., 1999, “Prevalence and correlates of physical abuse in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: a population-based approach”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.23, no.6, pp.549-557)

In a 1997 study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 46% of parents admitted “severe abuse” of their children, defined as kicking, biting, punching, hitting or trying to hit with an object or threatening or using an object. More than half said they had used general abuse such as spanking, shoving, pushing or throwing things during family conflicts.

(Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999, “Prevalence and correlates of physical abuse in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: a population based approach, 1997”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.23, no.8)

Research by social workers from the NGO Against Child Abuse, reported in 1996, found that of 173 adult respondents, almost one quarter reported having conflicts with their children, nearly a half of which resulted in hitting their children with objects and over half in hitting them with their hands. Pushing children and throwing things at them were also reported. While 63.6% said corporal punishment is “unacceptable”, only 14.9% reported never using it.

(Against Child Abuse Tuen Mun Centre, 1996, Survey report on childrearing in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong: Against Child Abuse, cited in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

Another study revealed that once children reach the age of 6 years, strict discipline is often imposed, with 47% of respondents believing it acceptable to smack the child’s bottom and 46% to smack the child’s hand.

(O’Brien, C. & Lau, L. S. W., 1995, “Defining child abuse in Hong Kong”, Child Abuse Review, vol.4, pp.38-46, cited in Hesketh, T., Hong, Z. S. & Lynch, M. A., 2000, “Child abuse in China: the views and experiences of child health professionals”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.6, pp.867-872)

The first Community Survey of Family Violence in Hong Kong, in 1995, interviewing over 1,000 households, found that almost half the children aged under 16 years had been victims of severe violence (kicked, hit with fist, beaten with implement, etc.) during the year surveyed; 45.6% of parents (36.4% fathers and 50.7% mothers) admitted to hitting or trying to hit their child with an object.

(Tang, C.S., 1998, “The rate of physical child abuse in Chinese families: a community survey in Hong Kong”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.22, no.5, pp.381-391, cited in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

A questionnaire given to 100 unmarried university students aged 22-31 years (19% female, 81% male), representing families of all educational and economic levels in Hong Kong, concerned respondents’ experiences of child care and discipline within and outside of their households. Physical punishment was reported as used in 95% of respondents’ homes, with beating the most severe form in 46%. Over half (58%) of respondents approved of some sort of corporal punishment for children aged less than 3 years, 2% approved of beating a child of less than 3 years and 16% approved of beating a child aged 5-10 years.

(Samuda, G. M., 1988, “Brief Communication: Child discipline and abuse in Hong Kong”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.12, pp.283-287)

INDIA

In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, published the first nationwide study on child abuse in India, based on the experiences of 12,447 children aged 5-18 years from across 13 states and also involving 2,324 young adults (aged 18-24) and 2,449 stakeholders (adults holding positions in government departments, private service and urban and rural local bodies, and individuals from the community). The study revealed a high prevalence of corporal punishment of children in all the settings – their family homes, schools, institutions and on the streets. Of the total number of children, 69% reported physical abuse, including corporal punishment, in one or more situations, more commonly (54.68%) boys and young children (48.29%). In the 5-12 age group, nearly three out of four (72.2%) reported physical abuse in one or more situations, in the 13-14 year age group 70.61%, and among 15-18 year olds 62.13%. Of children abused within the family, in the majority of cases the perpetrators were parents (reported by 88.6% of respondents – 50.9% mothers, 37.6% fathers). The second most commonly reported perpetrators were teachers (44.8%), followed by employers (12.39%), caregivers (9.45%), NGO workers (4.78%) and others. The difference between boys and girls was marginal, but age was significant, with young children aged 5-12 the most vulnerable and the risk declining for children aged 13-14 and again for adolescents aged 15-18. The most commonly reported punishment was being slapped and kicked (63.67%), followed by being beaten with a stave or stick (31.31%), and being pushed, shaken, etc (5.02%). For many (15.6%) the hurt resulted in serious physical injury, swelling or bleeding. When stakeholders were asked for their views on physical/corporal punishment, over 44.54% felt it was necessary in disciplining children; 25.45% disagreed with its necessity; 30.01% expressed no opinion. When asked about most suitable form of punishment for discipline, 35.24% said scolding or shouting, 11.31% slapping or beating with a stick, almost 11% felt locking a child in a room or denying food was suitable punishment.

(Kacker, L., Varadan, S. & Kumar, P., 2007, Study on Child Abuse: India 2007, New Dehli: Ministry of Women and Child Development)

A large scale research study conducted in May 2006 by Saath Charitable Trust and supported by Plan International (India) looked at children’s experiences of corporal punishment in schools and in the home in one district in each of four states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The research involved 1,591 children mostly from 41 schools as well as members of various children’s organisations. Parents, teachers, community members, government officials and other adults were also consulted. The main methods used were interviews, focus group discussions, role play and classroom observation. The study found corporal punishment to be an accepted way of life in all schools and communities visited. The most common forms of punishment were hitting with hands and stick, pulling hair and ears, and telling children to stand for long periods in various positions. Threats of physical violence were common. Severe forms of corporal punishment were also encountered, including being severely kicked, starvation, tying with rope to chairs/poles followed by beatings, and being assigned physically strenuous labour (e.g. in the fields). In all schools, there would be at least five beatings every day, in addition to other more moderate forms of punishment, though the punishments were less severe than those experienced in the home. Punishment in the home was inflicted by mothers and fathers on both girls and boys with equal severity, more frequently for boys.

(Saath Charitable Trust/Plan International, India, 2006, Impact of Corporal Punishment on School Children: A Research Study – Final Report)

A survey of university students revealed that 91% of males and 86% of females reported having been physically punished as children.

(Save the Children, 2001, Ending corporal punishment of children: Making it happen, cited in Regional Study on Violence Against Children in South Asia: Working document for South Asia Regional Consultation, 19-21 May 2005, Islamabad, Pakistan)

A 2004 study by the NGO Aapanach found that, of 350 children surveyed from public, private, and municipal schools, over 75% said that they received punishment at school, and nearly 60% said the most frequent form of punishment was caning or hitting with a ruler. It was common for the whole class to be punished (66%). A third (33%) reported cases of severe injury due to punishment.

(Reported in cities.expressindia.com, 7 April 2007)

A survey in 2004 of 1,500 adolescents in ten government schools of Chandigarh, carried out by the Advanced Pediatric Center, PGI found that the prevalence rate of corporal punishment was 22%.

(Reported in Chandigarh Newsline, 21 June 2007)

A 1996 study supported by UNICEF found that 66% of children in the state of Maharashtra reported being regularly punished by their teachers in class. In Tamil Nadu state the corresponding figure was 87%, with similar prevalence figures in urban and rural schools.

(Mode, 1996, “Attitudes Study on Elementary Education in India: A Consolidated Report”, A Study Sponsored by UNICEF India, cited in UNICEF, Corporal punishment in schools in South Asia: Submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child Day of General Discussion on Violence against Children, 28 September 2001)

As part of the World Studies of Abuse in the Family Environment (WorldSAFE) cross-national project, researchers looked at incidence rates for corporal punishment using the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, as self-reported by mothers covering the period of the previous 6 months. In rural areas of India, “severe physical punishment” was reported as follows: hitting the child with an object not on the buttocks 36%, kicking 10%, choking 2%, burning 1%, threatening with a knife or gun 1%. “Moderate physical punishment” was reported as follows: spanked buttocks with hand 58%, slapped face or head 58%, pulled hair 29%, hit with knuckles 28%, hit with object on buttocks 23%, pinched child 17%, twisted ear 16%, shook child 12%, put hot pepper in mouth 3%, forced to kneel/stand in uncomfortable position 2%.

(Reported in Krug, E. G. et al. (eds) (2002), World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

In a study carried out in Chandigarh in 1986-87, 98.3% of parents were in favour of physical punishment, and out of 187 school-going children aged 6-10 years, 160 received beatings at home.

(Butterflies, 2003, My Name is Today: A Dossier on Children and Children’s Rights. Vol.II: Children and Protection Issues, New Delhi, India: Butterflies Advocacy and Research Centre, cited in Jabeen, F., 2004, Corporal/physical and psychological punishment of girls and boys in South and Central Asia Region, Save the Children Sweden Denmark)

INDONESIA

Save the Children UK carried out research in schools in North Maluku, surveying 541 children in two sub districts as part of a project developing non violent forms of classroom management. Children completed survey forms as follow up to classroom discussions on discipline. Nearly one quarter of the children reported having been hit by the teacher on their legs, hands, ears, cheeks and buttocks, once or more than once, the teachers using their hands, or a stick, ruler or bamboo swathe.

(Save the Children UK, Indonesia, 2004, “Violence in schools: report on a survey conducted by the Save the Children Education Programme in North Maluku”, unpublished, cited in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 34% of those surveyed in Indonesia reported having been beaten by their parents, and about 50% said that they found it less easy to talk to their teachers because teachers scream at them or beat them.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

IRAQ

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 68% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (25%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 59% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

IRELAND

In attitudinal research carried out in 1999, 45% of the 1,400 respondents, aged over 15 years, agreed with the statement “I see nothing wrong with slapping a child who misbehaves”; 27% supported legal prohibition.

(Irish Marketing Surveys, 1999, survey carried out for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)

In a survey for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Northern Ireland and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children of 1,100 children aged 8-15 years, almost a tenth reported that teachers threatened to slap them, and 4% said that they actually did, even though corporal punishment is banned. One fifth said their parents smacked them, though relationships with parents were positive.

(McGill, P., 1996, “Pupils in Ireland fear test failure”, Times Educational Supplement, 23 August 1996)

In 1993, research was carried out by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children into children’s attitudes to and experiences of physical punishment and sexual abuse. In personal interviews with more than 1,000 adults aged 18 to 54 years in their homes, 64% stated that they had been physically punished in the home occasionally/rarely, 24% constantly/frequently. Almost one third (30%) reported being punished with a rigid implement occasionally/rarely, 7% constantly/frequently; 18% had been punished with a flexible instrument occasionally/rarely, 5% constantly/frequently. One in ten reported being hit with a closed fist (8% occasionally/rarely, 2% constantly/frequently). Three quarters of the respondents either endorsed (32%) or accepted (43%) the use of physical punishment.

(Irish Marketing Surveys, 1993, Childhood Experiences and Attitudes, research carried out for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and RTE’s “Tuesday File” series)

ISRAEL

Interviews with 273 parents of at least one child under the age of 18 (Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union) were carried out in 1999 using a semi-structured questionnaire and vignettes. Two of the vignettes showed two situations in which different methods of physical punishment were used on 8-year-old children, slapping the face of a girl and hitting a boy with a belt. When asked which methods parents could use to hit their children, 75% described specific acceptable methods, including hitting with the hand (85%) and hitting with an object, mainly a belt (15%); 63% felt it acceptable to physically punish boys, 41% girls.

(Shor, R., 1999, “Inappropriate child rearing practices as perceived by Jewish immigrant parents from the Former Soviet Union”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 23, no. 5, pp.487-499)

ITALY

Telephone interviews with 1,009 adults aged 14 and over in April 2004, revealed that 69% believe it is acceptable for parents to smack their children, including 7% who believe it is always acceptable and 62% who believe there are some circumstances in which it is acceptable. A quarter believe it is unacceptable in any circumstances.

(Market & Opinion Research International, 2004, “Attitudes towards smacking children: Italy”, Research conducted for the Association for the Protection of All Children)

Data analysis of calls to Telefono Azzurro (a children’s helpline) between January 2000 and June 2002 indicated that over 40% of abuse was physical and 78.6% of all child abuse takes place in the home, with children up to 10 years of age being most at risk.

(Analysis presented in the alternative report by Telefono Azzurro to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, February 2003)

An inspection by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the penal institution for minors in Naples found that staff believed in and administered slaps to the child detainees, for their “educational function”.

(Cecchetti, R. & Boffi, A., 2002, Rights of the Child in Italy: Report on the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, Switzerland: World Organisation against Torture)

A questionnaire survey in 1999-2000 of the families of 6,250 pupils aged 3-12 years from kindergartens and primary schools investigated resolution of family conflicts through parental self-reporting using the Conflict Tactics Scales. From the 2,388 responses suitable for analysis, three out of four (77%) of caretakers declared that they had thrown something at the child, pushed, grabbed or shoved the child, or slapped/spanked the child during the survey year. One child in 11 (8%) was found to have experienced more severe forms of physical punishment during the same period.

(Bardi, M. & Borgognini-Tarli, S. A., 2001, “A survey of parent-child conflict resolution: intrafamily violence in Italy”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 25, pp.839-853)

Official statistics show that, for crimes for which the judicial authority initiated criminal action between 1986 and 1996, there was an increase in the prevalence of maltreatment within the family (for both adults and children) and of abuse of children by means of punishment. There was also a general increase between 1997 and 2001.

(ISTAT Criminal Judicial Statistics, cited in Italy’s Second Report under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 2000, CRC/C/70/Add.13; ISTAT Criminal Judicial Statistics, Years 1997-2001)

JAMAICA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 73% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (34%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 6% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

Focus group research with parents, children aged 5-8 years and practitioners in 2007 found that young children were still receiving corporal punishment despite the prohibition in the Early Childhood Act passed in 2005.

(Reported in The Jamaica Observer, 6 June 2007)

According to a study reported in The Gleaner in March 2007, in a survey of teachers from all types of primary educational settings, one in four admitted to flogging students often and one in three to pinching and thumping them. Boys were more likely to be flogged. Less than a quarter of teachers believed beating was effective, and almost half identified negative effects they had seen, including students becoming oppositional, aggressive, destructive towards school property, gathering peer support against teachers, and becoming “disconnected” from school activities.

(Reported in Jamaica Gleaner Online, 21 March 2007)

A survey conducted in July 2006 for The Gleaner found that 60% of respondents were in favour of spanking and caning in schools, with 28% feeling strongly that teachers should be given the right to physically punish students. Over a third (37%) opposed corporal punishment, including 13% who were strongly against it.

(“Jamaica Gleaner-Bill Johnson Poll – Majority support caning in schools”, Jamaica Gleaner Online, 19 August 2006, www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060818/lead/lead4.html)

A study of 75 economically deprived families in 1994 found that 79% of the mothers polled had beaten their 2-5 year olds with an implement.

(Reported in Davidson, T., 2006, “JA ranked 2^nd in the world for smacking kids”, The Jamaica Observer, 27 February 2006)

203 parents (71.3% mothers, 6.4% fathers, and other caregivers) from across six parishes, of 100 boys and 103 girls aged between 5 and 7, completed questionnaires which were administered by trained interviewers, followed by an investigation into the frequency of use of specific disciplinary methods. Of the 193 parents who responded to questionnaires about the disciplinary methods they used in their homes, 28% reported that non-violent methods were most commonly used; 25.4% reported psychological aggression and 46.6% physical assault. Of those reporting physical assault, 1% reported pinching, 31.1% spanking, 13% beating with an object, 1% shaking, and 0.5% tying of hands. In the week prior to the interview, 1% reported spanking more than 7 times, 3.1% 4-6 times, and 27.4% 1-3 times. Beating with a strap was reported as occurring 1-3 times over the same period by 14.6% of respondents.

(Samms-Vaughan, M., Williams, S. & Brown, J., 2004, Disciplinary Practices among parents of six-year-olds in Jamaica, University of the West Indies)

Research was undertaken into the experiences of 1,720 children aged 11-12 (51.5% girls, 48.4% boys; 68.7% in primary schools, 32.3% in secondary schools) on conflict resolution measures between themselves and adults at home and school (the schools were in two urban parishes). Overall, 97.2% of children reported a lifetime experience of verbal aggression or violence resulting from conflict with adults in the home, with 82.3% reporting verbal aggression, 87.4% minor violence, and 84.8% severe violence. The preferred methods of resolving conflict between adults and children in the home were pushing, grabbing and slapping (86%) or beating with an object (84.2%). The main cause of conflict was reported as disobedience (reported by 73.5% of children). The mother was most frequently reported as responsible for administering discipline (73.7%, cf. fathers 30.5%, uncles and aunts 9.2%, grandparents 7.6%, siblings 4.6% and step-parents 2.7%). With regard to conflict resolution between teachers and children, a total of 86.2% of children reported a lifetime prevalence of verbal aggression or physical violence, with verbal aggression reported by 49.3%, minor violence by 74% and severe violence by 75.4%. The most common forms of resolving conflict were reported as pushing, grabbing or slapping (with a lifetime prevalence of 70.8%) and beating with an object (75.3%). For 64% of children there were no incidents in the four weeks prior to the survey, but for some such incidents occurred daily. Most physical punishment was administered by the class teacher (83.3%), followed by the principal (9.1%), the vice principal (3.9%) and subject teachers (1.7%).

(Samms-Vaughan, M. et al., 2004, “Jamaican Children’s Experiences of Corporal Punishment at Home and School”, University of the West Indies/Ministry of HealthUniversity of Missouri-Columbia)

JAPAN

A retrospective survey was conducted in 1998 on the socialisation of pre-school and school-age children (aged 3-12 years), and included an examination of children’s experiences of and opinions about being praised or scolded. Overall, it was found that more than 80% of children had been hit by their parents, with other punishments reported including making children stay outside, reprimanding them, restricting their activities and ignoring them.

(Benesse Educational Research Centre, 1999, Kosodate seikatsu kihon chosa houkokusholl Kenkyu shoho, vol. 19, Tokyo: Benesse Corporation, reported in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

In a survey by the All Japan Parents and Teachers Association in 1996, only 25.6% of respondents stated that corporal punishment should never be administered by a teacher.

(Goodman, 2003, cited in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific, Save the Children Sweden)

According to Ministry of Education reports, schools using and suspected of using corporal punishment during the years 1990 to 1995 numbered from 600 to 850 per year, about 2% of all public schools. The number of cases of corporal punishment reported during the period was 700 to 1,000 per year, with 30% to 45% of teachers responsible receiving legal sanctions. The figures show an increase in the use of corporal punishment over the period.

(Kobayashi, N., Tanimura, M. & Shimauchi, Y., 1997, “Corporal punishment in the schools and homes of Japan”, IPA Journal (INCH), vol.8, no.3 Pre-congress workshops: Prevention of childhood injuries: intentional and unintentional – 9th Asian Congress of Paediatrics, Hong Kong, 22-23 March 1997)

Of the 435 cases of child abuse encountered at paediatric departments of general and children’s hospitals registered with the Department of Child Ecology, National Children’s Medical Research Center, and the National Children’s Hospital from 1986 to 1995, the rationale of “discipline and education” or the child’s misbehaviour was given in 36.3% of cases.

A retrospective survey of 600 mothers of 13-year-old children, carried out by the Educational Research Center, Benesse Corporation, found that 56% had received corporal punishment once or more since primary school, with the number of children increasing with age and more commonly for boys than girls. Nearly half the children felt the punishment had been severe or too severe. Half (50%) of mothers accepted or tolerated the punishment because their child had misbehaved; 16% denied their child had misbehaved; and only 20% objected to the teacher’s use of corporal punishment. Just over one in ten (14%) of mothers felt that punishment was an effective discipline tool; 68% approved of occasional punishment; 17% disapproved of corporal punishment on any occasion.

(Fukaya, K., 1986, Corporal punishment monograph: Primary school children now, Educational Research Center, Fukutake Shoten, Benesse Corp. Cited in Kobayashi, N., Tanimura, M. & Shimauchi, Y., 1997, “Corporal punishment in the schools and homes of Japan”, IPA Journal (INCH), vol.8, no.3 Pre-congress workshops: Prevention of childhood injuries: intentional and unintentional – 9th Asian Congress of Paediatrics, Hong Kong, 22-23 March 1997)

Research into teachers’ opinions about corporal punishment was reported in a news article in 1987. A questionnaire survey administered by the Kobe Municipal Teachers Union to all its members found that around 60% of junior high school teachers felt corporal punishment was necessary – 7% said they believed corporal punishment was necessary under present conditions, 59% said they had felt at times that it was needed, and 32% disapproved of corporal punishment. In elementary schools, 2% of teachers supported corporal punishment, 47% said it was sometimes necessary, and 49% were against it.

(“Many Japanese teachers favor corporal punishment”, Nichi Bei Times, San Francisco, USA, 21 November 1987)

KAZAKHSTAN

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 23% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (7%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 10% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

A nationwide survey on violence against children was conducted in 2002 by the Association of Social Scientists and Politologists with the support of UNICEF, using anonymous questionnaires for parents and for children and in-depth interviews with education, health and childcare specialists. 1,100 children aged 7-18 years living with their parents, in institutions and on the street, 1,100 parents of children aged 5-18 years, and 220 specialists were included in the research. Specialists estimated that 60-80% of children are subject to violence by parents, adults and children, and the number is increasing. Health workers reported an increase in the number of children coming to their facilities as a result of beating and torture in families. Interviews showed that most often the victims were from “troublesome” families (49.5%) and families with a low level of education (28.7%), and children of all ages were susceptible. “Educational” measures reported by parents on their children included explanations (32%), reprimands (29.1%), moral punishment or bans (17.6%), scolding (16.4%) and physical punishment (2.3%). Scolding and physical punishment were most common for low-income families. One third (33%) of children reported encountering violence – on average 3.3% constantly suffer from brutal treatment, 16.3% frequently, 66.6% sometimes and 13.8% never. The perpetrators of the violence were reported as older children (44.5%), parents/relatives (23.9%), policemen (9.6%), teachers and educators (9.6%), youth groups (8.2%), and hooligans and bandits (4.2%). In all settings (at home, with relatives, boarding school, orphanage, remand centre, and special school), violence was most commonly carried out by older children followed by parents and relatives.

(Association of Social Scientists and Politologists/UNICEF, 2002, Violence against Children in the Republic of Kazakhstan February – March 2002, Almaty: ASSAP/UNICEF)

KENYA

In a survey of 500 young women in Kenya aged 18-24 years concerning their childhood experiences of violence, undertaken by the Africa Child Policy Forum and published in 2006, 99% reported experiencing physical violence. Beating with an object was found to be the most prevalent form of physical violence (80.8%). Prevalence figures for other forms of physical violence were 59.5% for punching, 39.6% kicking, 43.8% hard work, 20.5% being choked/burned/stabbed, 12.3% having spicy/bitter substances put in mouth, 14.3% being locked or tied up, and 35% being denied food. Girls were found to be most vulnerable when aged 10-13 years. Experiencing the violence more than ten times was more likely in the case of beating than other types of physical violence. Most beating with an object was carried out by mothers (23.5%), followed by female teachers (15.3%) and fathers (13.3%). Most hitting/punching was carried out by female teachers (16.1%), followed by mothers (14.2%) and male teachers (11.3%), with medical attention necessary in 20% of cases. In 52.3% of cases, the hitting/punching resulted in “bruises or scratches, broken bones or teeth, or bleeding”; the comparable figure resulting from beating with an object was 64.6%.

(Stavropoulos, J., 2006, Violence Against Girls in Africa: A Retrospective Survey in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, Addis Ababa, The African Child Policy Forum)

A survey of 267 adults and children and interviews with parents, teachers and children, reported in 2005, found that the most frequent forms of physical discipline used on children were smacking (78.8%), pulling ears (68.8%) and cuffing (61.5%). Other corporal punishments included forcing a child to kneel on a hard floor (45.9%), tapping (43.3%), forcing a child to stand in the sun (33.2%) and burning fingers (19.7%). Almost two thirds of children (62.2%) said they wanted the use of corporal punishment to be stopped. Over half of parents (54%) said that physical punishment should not be stopped.

(ANPPCAN Kenya Chapter, 2005, From Physical Punishment to Positive Discipline: Alternatives to Physical/Corporal Punishment in Kenya, second draft)

A 2004 survey by Population Communication Africa reported that over 60% of children believed that they had been or were being physically abused at school, including being slapped in the face, being hit on the body with a cane or stick, and being beaten, kicked or punched or otherwise physically bullied.

(Johnston, T., 2004, Gender Series: The Abuse of Nairobi School Children, Population Communication Africa: Nairobi, cited in O’Sullivan, M., 2005, “Corporal Punishment in Kenya”, Juvenile Justice Quarterly, vol.2, no.1)

KUWAIT

A 1996 study of 321 Kuwaiti parents with at least one living child attending primary health care clinics in each of the five administrative areas of Kuwait, using a structured questionnaire interview, found 86% agreeing to corporal punishment as a method of child discipline. About 54% agreed or strongly agreed with severe physical beating in cases of gross misbehaviour; 2% agreed with throwing against the wall; 9% agreed or strongly agreed with burning; and 15% agreed with locking a child in a room. Approval of physical punishment was higher the lower the level of education.

(Qasem, F.S. et al., 1998, “Attitudes of Kuwaiti parents toward physical punishment of children”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.22, no.12, pp.1189-1202)

KYRGYZSTAN

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 36% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (8%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 38% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

In a study reported in 2003, 30% of detained children reported experiencing physical or mental punishment, including beating, crawling, sitting in the sun and withholding meals.

(Sandvik-Nylund, 2003, Regional Assessment: Violence against children in East Asia and the Pacific region, Bangkok: UNICEF, cited in Nogami, N., 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws. attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific - Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General's Global Study on Violence against Children, Stockholm, Save the Children Sweden)

LATVIA

A survey by the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Latvia and the Centre Against Abuse: Support for Families and Children found that 23% of adolescent respondents reported experiencing less severe physical abuse (hitting, slapping, kicking, throwing something), and around 13% more severe physical abuse (beating, burning, using a knife or gun).

(Cited by Child Abuse Network: http://www.canee.net/)

LEBANON

An assessment by the International Medical Corps (IMC) of 45 schools in the districts of Akkar, Hermel, Baalbek, and South Lebanon, conducted between November 2006 and March 2007, found that corporal punishment was used excessively.

(Reported by Reuters and AlertNet, 6 July 2007)

A field study of children aged between 8 and 12 years carried out by the Faculty of Public Health at the Lebanese University found that physical domestic violence exists in all social groups, is widespread throughout society as a method of discipline, and is generally used in educating and bringing up children because families believe it is effective. Punishments ranged from verbal admonishments and denying favourite pastimes, to beating hands which in the most serious cases caused injuries requiring medical attention. Girls and boys received the same punishments. The study found that children who experienced physical punishment regarded beating as a healthy part of discipline, accepted without protest.

(Oamar Al-Din, S. & Al-Hayak, N., “Physical domestic violence against children”, research for an award in social health management, 1995-95, cited in second state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2000, CRC/C/70/Add.8, para. 466)

Interview research with more than 250 students in private and public schools in Beirut, Tripoli and Tyre found that the majority do not perceive “mild” corporal punishment as violence and even when “serious pain” is inflicted it is justified because the pupils “deserve it”.

(Save the Children Sweden, 2005, “Corporal punishment in Lebanon: The role of the public administration in implementing a ban on corporal punishment in schools in Lebanon”)

LIBERIA

Research by the NGO Cherish the Kids has shown that corporal punishment of children is common in most homes. In a 1999 survey of 18,000 parents of children aged 5-15 years, 85% approved of corporal punishment. Of these, 46% approved of severe beating of children in cases of “gross misbehaviour”. The same organisation undertook a survey of school chapters in 1999-2000, which found that of 24,000 children from 41 schools in rural and urban areas, 81% said they had been physically punished or severely flogged by their parents. A large scale interview study of parents and children in rural areas showed that one third of children (38%) were disciplined by beating and flogging, and children reported that harsh discipline caused injuries.

(All studies reported by Cherish the Kids in correspondence with the Global Initiative, July 2004)

LIECHTENSTEIN

In a 1999 study, 689 young people aged 12-20 years were asked about domestic violence. More than two fifths (41%) reported having experienced slaps and 3% thrashing, although whether this was done by siblings or parents was not specified.

(Amt fu˝r Soziale Dienste, 1999, Liechtensteinische Jugendstudie 1999. Ergebnisse, Analysen und Kommentare, Schaan: Amt fu˝r Sociale Dienste)

LITHUANIA

With a view to furthering the implementation of the National Programme against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children, a Survey of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse against Children was conducted in 2000-2001 to analyse the situation of violence and sexual coercion against children in Lithuania. For the survey 4,034 respondents were interviewed, of which 1,002 were parents and guardians, 1,002 children of different age groups, 1,002 specialists, 20 experts and 1,008 other adults. Of the children aged 14-18 years, 80% reported that their parents do not use physical punishment on them now, 12.5% reported that it is used rarely, 4.5% reported its use sometimes, and 2.2% reported its use often. For children aged less than 14 years, 70.2% reported that it is not used at all, 24.6% that it is used on rare occasions, 4.5% sometimes, and 0.8% quite often.

(Reported in the first state party report on the implementation of the Revised European Social Charter, 2003)

LUXEMBOURG

A public opinion survey in 1993 found that of 508 parents questioned, 49% considered corporal punishment to be a useful way of disciplining children, 29% felt that it was not very useful but that it didn’t do any harm, and 22% believed that it should be forbidden.

(Poll carried out by Fondation Kannerschlass and Institut Luxembourgeois de Recherches Statistiques, 1993)

MALAYSIA

In 2005, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia conducted an online poll on school corporal punishment. Of the 64 respondents to the question “Is caning students in schools a violation of human rights?” 31.3% agreed, 57.8% disagreed, and 10.9% were unsure.

(Human Rights Commission of Malaysia website, www.suhakam.org.my/en/)

In 2003, research into human rights awareness among secondary school teachers, students and administrators conducted by researchers from local universities assigned by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) found the cane being used regularly. In the survey of 5,754 students, 52% agreed that caning commonly happened in their schools, more often in rural schools than urban schools; around 80% of cases occurred at technical schools; 79.5% of teachers and 71.8% of administrators agreed that persistent offenders should be caned.

(Reported in “Spare the rod?”, New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur, 21 March 2004)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 25% of those surveyed in Malaysia reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 2% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

MEXICO

Research in 1983 looked at two indigenous Zapotec communities in Oaxaca, one characterised as “peaceful”, the other as “aggressive”, and their disciplinary practices, using structured interviews with fathers and ethnographic and ethological observations, mostly within family compounds, of 48 children aged 3-8 years (24 girls, 24 boys). Interviews revealed that fathers advocated physical punishment of their children for various behaviours on average in around 50% of cases for the “aggressive” community, with 71% recommending its use for disobedience by sons, compared with 22% for the “peaceful” community, with 39% recommending it for disobedience by daughters. Ethnographic observations revealed the use of “minor” forms of punishment (knuckle raps, slaps, pulls, pushes) in both communities, and severe forms only in the “aggressive” community (beatings with sticks, ropes and belts, throwing rocks, kicking, and striking forcefully with the hand).

(Fry, D. P., 1993, “The intergenerational transmission of disciplinary practices and approaches to conflict”, Human Organization, vol.52, no.2, pp.176-185)

MONGOLIA

In a survey reported in 2003, 89% of parents and 74% of children agreed that violence is practised against children in families.

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 7% of those surveyed in Mongolia reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 9% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

MONTENEGRO

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 42% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (5%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 11% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

Interviews with young offenders, carried out as part of a UNICEF assessment of the juvenile justice system, revealed that many had experienced physical punishment during custody in penal institutions.

(Conragan, C., 2002, Children in conflict with the law: Victims of the transition – An assessment of the juvenile justice systems in the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro, UNICEF)

MYANMAR

In a 2002 study by UNICEF, 17% of children surveyed in four peri-urban townships said they were unhappy at school because teachers beat them. The study involved face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions, and included both primary and secondary schools and children currently out-of-school.

(Reported by UNICEF in correspondence with the Global Initiative, September 2003)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 40% of those surveyed in Myanmar reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 12% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

NAMIBIA

A study on childrearing among the Nama of Karas and Hardap regions, published in 1995, found that 89% of Nama parents surveyed believed it is acceptable for parents to “beat up their misbehaving children”, and 86% believed it acceptable for teachers to “beat up” children who misbehave. When asked for the reasons underlying this belief, 34% of parents felt it was an effective way of teaching the difference between right and wrong; 27% stated that it is the only way to elicit respect, honesty and good behaviour. Teachers felt that such punishment promotes discipline, respect, honesty and order (32%) and that it is acceptable if applied fairly and justifiably (28%).

(Zimba, R. F. & Otaala, B., 1995, “The Family in Transition: A Study of Childrearing Practices and Beliefs Among the Nama of Karas and Hardap Regions of Namibia”, UNICEF/UNAM)

Unpublished research reported in 1996 involving focus group discussions in the Windhoek, Mariental and Owambo regions found that corporal punishment was a daily occurrence in most families and was the most common method of discipline, with many participants admitting that they were unaware of any other disciplinary methods.

(Cited in Becker, H. & Classen, P., 1996, Violence Against Women and Children: Community Attitudes and Practices, available from the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia)

NEPAL

In a study in the schools of Kathmandu, 82% of students were found to suffer physical punishment in schools; 80% of students said that alternative methods can be used to discipline children.

(Reported in The Rising Nepal, 24 December 2006)

In December 2003, the Centre for Victims of Torture (CVICT), in collaboration with UNICEF, conducted a focus group study on “Existing Systems of Discipline in Schools” among students, teachers and parents in four regions. The study revealed that corporal punishment was being used in most schools, more commonly in private than public schools. Physical punishment was most commonly used against primary school students, while psychological punishment was more common against secondary level students. Both were commonly used against lower secondary students. Many teachers and parents reported that giving severe punishment to children because they were unaware of alternatives to corporal punishment and knew little about the physical and psychological impacts of harsh punishments.

(Reported in CVICT, Monthly Update, June 2004, www.cvict.org.np/)

Research by UNICEF ROSA in 2001 found that 33% of respondents reported being physically punished in the home.

(UNICEF ROSA, 2001, Corporal Punishment in Schools in South Asia, submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Day of General Discussion on Violence Against Children 28 September 2001, Kathmandu: UNICEF ROSA, cited in Jabeen, F., 2004, Corporal/physical and psychological punishment of girls and boys in South and Central Asia Region, Save the Children Sweden Denmark)

NETHERLANDS

Research for the Ministry of Justice in 1997 revealed that nearly 47% of the Dutch population had experienced recurrent intra-familial violence, especially between the ages of 10 and 25 years.

(Institute Dienst Preventie, Jeugdbescherming en Reclassering, 1997, Huiselijik gewald, Aard, omvang en hulpverlening, Institute Dienst Preventie, Jeugdbescherming en Reclassering)

A survey in 1999 by a popular parenting magazine of 2,000 mothers revealed 8% slapped or shook their 2 month-old babies to try to stop them crying.

(Our Baby, April 1999)

NEW ZEALAND

A poll of more than 3,000 respondents by The New Zealand Herald found that almost 70% supported the return of caning and strapping in schools.

(Reported in Radio New Zealand News, 1 August 2007)

As part of the Government’s Strategies with Kids: Information for Parents public education programme, designed to promote alternatives to corporal punishment, the Ministry of Social Development commissioned telephone interviews with 612 parents and 539 caregivers of children up to 5 years of age nationwide in 2004. Overall, 51% of parents and 21% of caregivers reported using physical discipline, with this being more likely the lower the level of education and higher the number of children (for parents) and with decreasing household income and increasing age (for caregivers). The most common form was smacking on the bottom (45% parents, 32% caregivers). 25% of parents using physical discipline were not interested in receiving information on parenting.

(Gravitas Research and Strategy Ltd, for the Ministry of Social Development, 2004, Strategies with Kids – Information for Parents (SKIP) Strategy Development Research: Parent and Care-giver Survey Report, draft report)

In 2001, a telephone survey of 1,000 adults commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and carried out by the National Research Bureau Ltd (NRB) revealed that 80% of parents believed smacking with an open hand should be legally permissible, but 85% were against the use of a wooden spoon or belt, and 98% believed hits to the head and neck area should not be allowed. Physical punishment that causes marking, bruising or injury to a child was not considered acceptable by almost 95% of respondents. When asked about the age of children it should be acceptable to physically punish, 62% believed it acceptable to punish those aged 2-5 years (64% women, 60% men), over half (52%) believed it acceptable for children aged 6-10 years (67% women, 76% men), 43% felt it acceptable for children aged 11-14 years (35% women, 51% men), and 16% for 15-17 year olds (14% women, 18% men). Almost one in four (23%) thought it was acceptable to physically discipline children below the age of 2 years (26% women, 19% men).

(Carswell, S., 2001, Survey on public attitudes towards the physical discipline of children, Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Justice)

The Christchurch Health and Development Study, a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 children born in 1977, included the collection of data from 18 year olds of their recall of punishment before the age of 16 years. Out of 1,025 responses, nine out of ten young people reported having received punishment at the hands of their parents: 77.7% said both parents seldom used physical punishment, 7.6% said at least one parent used physical punishment regularly, 2% said that at least one parent used physical punishment too often and too severely, and 1.9% said at least one parent treated them in a harsh and abusive way. One in ten (10.8%) said they had never been physically punished by their parents. In terms of specific forms of punishment, 56.4% reported regular frequent smacking, 30.8% regular hitting around head or body with fists, 29.5% regular hitting with a cane, strap or similar object, and 23.1% receiving a regular severe beating. Over a third (35.9%) reported being injured as a result of physical punishment.

(Fergusson, D.M. & Linskey, M.T., 1997, “Physical punishment/maltreatment during childhood and adjustment in young adulthood”, Child abuse and neglect, vol. 21, no. 7, pp.617-630)

In 1993, The Listener/Heylen Monitor polled 1,000 home occupiers aged 15 and over on the acceptability of corporal punishment, and found that 49% supported corporal punishment for girls, 54% for boys. This was reported as representing a significant decline in support for physical punishment since its abolition in schools in 1990.

(Physical Punishment in the Home in New Zealand, 1993, available from the Office of the Commissioner for Children)

NIGERIA

Large scale research in 2000 by the Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN), revealed that physical assault was one of the most common complaints against police by juvenile offenders. About two-thirds of the juveniles reported being verbally abused (66.5%), physically assaulted (64.7%) and threatened with beating (68.5%) by police. The figures relating to treatment by custodial officers were 43.5% for verbal abuse, 39.1% for physical assault. Corporal punishment was found to be frequently used in custody. 25.7% of young offenders reported being flogged very frequently, 12.8% frequently, 44.1% sometimes and 17.4% never. The corresponding figures for other types of corporal punishment were: kneeling 25.9%, 13.8%, 33%, 27.3%; frog jumping 26.3%, 9.4%, 33.9%, 30.4%; and tough physical drill 14.1%, 20.6%, 30.4% and 0%.

(Alemika, E.E.O. & Chukwuma, I.C., 2001, Juvenile Justice Administration in Nigeria: Philosophy and practice, Lagos: CLEEN)

OMAN

In 2003, research conducted by UNICEF in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development found that some teachers used corporal punishment, despite its prohibition in schools. Other studies have shown that it is also prevalent in the home, particularly among families with the lowest levels of educational attainment.

(Reported in the second state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child CRC/C/OMN/2, 2006, para. 175)

PAKISTAN

A participatory study by Save the Children, UNICEF and Government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in three districts of NWFP – Peshawar, Hangu and D.I.Khan – revealed that corporal punishment is widely used to discipline children in homes and educational institutions. A total of 155 consultations were undertaken, using participatory research techniques, with 3,582 children aged 6-14 years from government and religious schools, 86 consultations with 1,231 parents, and 86 consultations with 486 teachers. Not one child reported never having received corporal punishment. Cumulatively, the children identified 28 types of punishment used in homes and 43 in schools. The most common punishments at home were hitting with an object (shoe, brick, iron rod, knife, etc), smacking, kicking, punching, hair-pulling and ear-twisting. The most common in schools were smacking, hitting with an object, hair-pulling, ear-twisting, and awkward and humiliating physical positions. About 43% of all punishments identified were reported by children in government primary schools, about 30% in government middle schools, 10% in government high schools, and 16% in private schools. Corporal punishment at home and in schools was more frequent the younger the child. There were no significant gender differences – boys and girls were subjected to similar frequencies of punishment. Corporal punishment in homes was reported as being inflicted most frequently by immediate family members such as parents (20.22%), grandparents (24.04%) and older siblings (18.91%) and uncles and aunts (27.31%), followed by close relatives such as cousins and in-laws. Neighbours, village elders, tutors, housemaids and other relations were reported as less frequently beating children. Corporal punishment in schools was most commonly inflicted by the teacher and students assigned discipline duties in the school (49.6%), including class monitor, commander, and assembly commander. Senior students were also frequently reported to be hitting younger children (14.7%).

(Save the Children/UNICEF/Government of NFWP, 2005, Disciplining the Child: Practices and Impacts, Save the Children/UNICEF/Schools and Literacy Dept, Government of NWFP)

A survey by the Pakistan Paediatrics Association and UNICEF, the results of which were published in March 2003, showed that more than four out of five children were vulnerable to physical abuse from parents, elders and teachers, with boys more likely than girls to suffer physical abuse.

(Cited in Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 2004, State of Human Rights 2003)

An interview study of 300 parents in Lahore found 83% of parents reporting that they used corporal punishment, mostly slaps or kicks. About 3% reported using sticks, belts and other implements.

(Ahmad, F. & Najam, N., n.d., “Physical punishment: parental use, attitude and its intergenerational transmission”)

In research involving 4,200 school going children aged 5-16 years in 18 districts and 3 agencies (tribal areas) of North West Frontier Province, using a structured questionnaire, all respondents said that they were physically punished at home. The types of punishment experienced included slapping on the face (54%), slapping on the back (29%), hitting with a stick (16.6%), kicking (12.3%), pulling hair (11%), hitting with another object (2%), and shaking (1.1%). For boys, punishment was most commonly inflicted by fathers (78%), followed by mothers (42%) and elder brothers (47%). For girls, mothers most commonly inflicted the punishment (74%), following by fathers (60%), elder brothers (44%) and elder sisters (21%). Reasons given included being naughty (47% boys, 41% girls), playing (18% boys, 25% girls), disobeying adults (37%, 16%), making noise (12%, 12%), forgetting an important task (8%, 4%), and weakness in studies (22%. 25%). The punishment was rated as “very severe” in 17% of cases, “severe” in 52% and “mild” in 31%.

(NGOs Coalition on Child Rights, 2001, Violence against children in the family and in schools: Submission by NGOs Coalition on Child Rights - Pakistan (1) to the CRC Day of General Discussion, 28 September 2001, NCCR/UNICEF)

Interviews and questionnaires in 1998 involving 600 heads of government and private primary schools in 14 districts in the North West Frontier Province found that 57.3% felt corporal punishment was “necessary” at school, for reasons including maintaining discipline (68.7%), facilitating learning (55.1%) and building character (50.7%). The most common types of corporal punishment were slapping and beating with a stick, both reported by 41.1% of respondents. 630 mothers and fathers of children in the schools surveyed were also interviewed. 78.1% reported that corporal punishment was practised in the schools, with 64% reporting that their own children had received corporal punishment, most commonly by beating with a stick (44.6%) and in 74 cases the punishment resulted in serious injury. Corporal punishment in schools was felt to be “right” or “wrong but unavoidable” by 67.4% of the parents surveyed.

(NGO Coalition on Child Rights with UNICEF, 1998, Corporal Punishment in Primary Schools of North West Frontier Province Pakistan)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 29% of those surveyed in Papua New Guinea reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 39% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

PERU

In 2004, interviews were carried out with 870 female carers of children below the age of 10 years (95% mothers, 5% aunts, cousins and grandmothers) from six communities, as part of a project sponsored by Save the Children Canada and Save the Children UK to establish a community network for the eradication of corporal punishment. The majority (80%) believed corporal punishment necessary to educate their children; 52% believed ear pulling, slapping, or hitting with a belt or stick acceptable; and 20% believed corporal punishment helps children learn to obey. Just over a quarter (27%) felt that corporal punishment was not good but used it nevertheless, while only 16% stated that they did not use corporal punishment. In interviews with young children (aged 4-5 years), 96% reported having been physically punished for “bad behaviour”.

(Base line project sponsored by Save the Children Canada and Save the Children UK in San Juan de Lurigancho - Lima, reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children - Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)
International Save the Children report available at: www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandabuse/Corporalpunishment/1415+Publications.htm

In 2002, Save the Children surveyed 1,555 children and adolescents and 689 teachers, parents and other adults who work with children. Nearly half the children (48.2%) reported being “occasionally” punished in the home, 5.1% “frequently”, 30.4% “never”. The responses from adults were comparable, with 46.9% stating that they had been “occasionally” punished in their homes, 11.2% “frequently”, and 23.5% “never”. Just under one in five (18.8%) reported being “occasionally” punished in school, 1.8% “frequently”, and 39.7% “never” – but 39.7% did not respond regarding school corporal punishment. Boys reported being punished more often than girls in school (23% compared with 13%).

(Reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children - Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)
International Save the Children report available at: www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandabuse/Corporalpunishment/1415+Publications.htm

PHILIPPINES

Research into children’s experiences of child abuse found that the most abusive acts were those inflicted by parents in the name of discipline and included spanking, being beaten up or mauled (including when a parent uses a wooden stick, belt, bat or broom, incessant beatings, slaps on the face, and being burned with a flat iron), being scolded or punished when the child did nothing wrong, humiliating the child in public, and shouting and cursing at the child.

(De la Cruz, T. et al., 2001, Trust and power: Child abuse in the eyes of the child and the parent, Manila: UP-CIDS Psychosocial Trauma and Human Rights Program, cited in International Save the Children Alliance, 2004, How to research the physical and emotional punishment of children: Resource handbook, Thailand: International Save the Children Alliance, Southeast, East Asia and Pacific Region)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 24% of those surveyed in the Philippines reported having been beaten by their parents.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

In another study, parents questioned about their behaviour towards their children revealed that two thirds of them reported whipping their children, and 45% confirmed that they had hit, kicked or beaten them.

(Hahm, H. & Guterman, N., 2001, “The emerging problem of physical child abuse in South Korea”, Child Maltreatment, vol.6, pp.169-179, cited in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

As part of the World Studies of Abuse in the Family Environment (WorldSAFE) cross-national project, researchers looked at incidence rates for corporal punishment as self-reported by mothers covering the period of the previous 6 months. In the Philippines, “severe physical punishment” was reported as follows: hitting the child with an object not on the buttocks 21%, kicking 6%, beating 3%, threatening with a knife or gun 1%, choking 1%. “Moderate physical punishment” was reported as: spanked buttocks with hand 75%, pinching 60%, hit with object on buttocks 51%, twisted ear 31%, pulled hair 23%, slapped face or head 21%, shook child 20%, hit with knuckles 8%, forced to kneel/stand in uncomfortable position 4%, put hot pepper in mouth 1%.

(Reported in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organization)

In 1994, the incidence of corporal punishment by teachers among elementary students during a one-year period was found to be 57.6%.

(Kim, H. S. & Song, I. H., 1994, The battered children, Seoul: Adolescent Counseling Centre, cited in Kim, D-H., Kim, K-I. & Park, Y-C., 2000, “Children’s experience of violence in China and Korea: A transcultural study, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.9)

In a 1994 questionnaire survey on physical punishment completed by 1,045 children from grades 4-6 in schools in Seoul, 76.7% reported receiving physical punishment by a family member during the last year (67.3% “light” corporal punishment, 9.4% “severe”), more commonly for boys and younger children. Mothers were the punishers in 78.8% of cases, fathers 55.1%, and older siblings 30.3%.

(Park, M. Y., 1996, “Facts about child maltreatment and preventive measures”, Journal of Children and Adolescent Studies, vol.3, no.1, pp.107-130, cited in Doe, S. J., 2000, “Cultural factors in child maltreatment and domestic violence in Korea”, Children and Youth Services Review, vol.22, nos.3/4, pp.231-236)

POLAND

A nationwide survey of adults published in 2001 found that 80% reported experiencing beatings in the home as children, by parents or guardians, more commonly for men than for women. The higher the level of education of respondents, the less often they had experienced physical punishment and the less frequently they used corporal punishment on their own children. Corporal punishment was most often reported as being used on children aged 7-14 years. Almost half of respondents (48%) believed that corporal punishment by parents should be banned. One fifth (20%) had also experienced corporal punishment by teachers.

(Fluderska, G. and Sajkowska, M., 2001, The Problem of Child Abuse in Poland: Attitudes and Experiences, Warsaw: Nobody’s Children Foundation)

In 2001, the State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol Related Problems (PARPA) commissioned attitudinal research on childrearing. The survey of 1,116 people aged above 15 years found that more than half (54%) considered beating children with a belt acceptable, and 77% felt it was acceptable to shout at and threaten children. Just under a half (44%) agreed that children are the property of their parents; 24% agreed with the statement “a child should be afraid of his/her parents, and there is no upbringing without beating”; 30% agreed with “the severe upbringing makes a child stronger and is beneficial for the child”; 27% agreed with “children deserve corporal punishments”.

(Reported in Government Response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, May 2005)

PORTUGAL

Telephone interviews with 809 adults aged 18 years and over in April 2004, revealed that 83% believe it is acceptable for parents to smack their children, including one in six (16%) who believe it is always acceptable and a further two thirds (67%) who believe there are some circumstances in which it is acceptable. Just over one in ten (13%) believe it is unacceptable in any circumstances.

(Market & Opinion Research International, 2004, “Attitudes towards smacking children: Portugal”, Research conducted for the Association for the Protection of All Children)

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Government research into corporal punishment at middle and high schools showed a decline in prevalence, with 6% experiencing it in 2006 compared with 40% in a similar survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union in 2000. The research surveyed 1,160 students at 40 schools, 533 parents and 262 teachers. When asked if teachers listened to the student’s side of the story before giving the punishment, 89% of teachers said “yes” while 88% of students and 92% of parents answered “no”. Corporal punishment is given when students do not obey school rules, e.g. not finishing homework or being late or absent from class.

(Reported in The Korea Herald, 26 January 2007)

In a nationwide survey of 3,228 students conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers Association in April 2003, 70% said that corporal punishment given by their teachers was fair but that it should be limited to severe cases of insubordination. Students said teachers should not abuse the right to punish students.

(Reported in Hae-noon, K., 2003, “Students cite slip in respect for teachers”, Joong Ang Daily, Seoul, 14 May 2003)

A questionnaire survey of 489 children in grades 4-6 in Korea in autumn 1998 looked at personal opinion on corporal punishment and experience of violence by family members, school teachers or peers in the last year. The rate of corporal punishment by teachers was 62%, while the rate of violence in the family was 68.9%.

(Kim, D-H., Kim, K-I. & Park, Y-C., 2000, “Children’s experience of violence in China and Korea: A transcultural study”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.24, no.9, pp.1163-1173)

In a national telephone survey of 1,272 people, 91.8% of mothers and 82.9% of fathers approved of corporal punishment of children.

(Kim, J. Y., 1998, “A study of correlations between attitudes about domestic violence and violent behaviors”, Korean Family Welfare Studies, vol.2, pp.87-114, cited in Doe, S. J., 2000, “Cultural factors in child maltreatment and domestic violence in Korea”, Children and Youth Services Review, vol.22, nos.3/4, pp.231-236)

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

In 2004, the Working Group on Development of Policies and Strategies in the Field of Small Children Care and Development, supported by UNICEF, carried out a national study on children’s health, education and experience of violence and abuse. Of the 4-7 year old children questioned, 58.4% reported being beaten at home.

(Reported in Government Response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, September 2005)

The “Youth Voices” Study carried out by UNICEF across 35 countries in May 2001 involved interviews with 400 children aged 9-17 years in each country. Almost half (47%) of those interviewed in Moldova reported having been subjected to violent or aggressive behaviour at home. In 43% of cases the reason given for this behaviour was children’s disobedience and bad behaviour; in 4% it was attributed to poor performance at school or not doing homework.

(Reported in Government Response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, September 2005)

In 2000-2001, the National Study on Early Child Development studied the methods used in disciplining children and the convictions of parents regarding abusive methods of child discipline. When asked what they do when children do not obey, two out of five parents (39.6%) admitted to beating them with their hands, with 52.4% threatening a beating or other punishment. In two-parent families, children were more frequently beaten by mothers than fathers (47.9% compared with 27.8%). Over half of parents (56.4%) acknowledged that beatings do not solve anything, and only 15.5% reported considering that what they do is right.

(Protection, Neglect, Abuse and Violence, reported in Government Response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, September 2005)

A study of 298 schoolchildren aged 9-16 years from six regions, carried out by the National Centre of Abuse Against Children (NCAAC) in 1999-2000 found that 53.3% had been exposed to physical abuse, and that abused and non-abused children typically witnessed violence.

(Reported in Government Response to UN Study on Violence Against Children Questionnaire, September 2005)

ROMANIA

Research in 2000 by Save the Children Romania found that of a sample of 423 children aged 11-13 years, 75% reported experiencing physical abuse, including corporal punishment, with 5% reporting the need for medical treatment.

(Alexandrescu, G. et al., 2000, Child abuse and neglect, Save the Children Romania)

In a national survey in 2000 of 1,556 households with children, 1,295 school children aged 13-14 years, and 110 professionals, 47% of parents admitted using corporal punishment while 84% of children reported experiencing corporal punishment from their parents, including 20% who were beaten with objects and 15% who were afraid to go home because of the beatings. 16% of parents admitted to beating their children with an object, and 48% to threatening their children with beatings and other forms of punishment.

(Browne, K. et al., 2002, Child abuse and neglect in Romanian Families: A National Prevalence Study 2000, Bucharest: Romanian Government National Authority for Child Protection)

An opinion poll of 1,200 children aged 8-13 years, carried out by Save the Children Romania during the 2002 national campaign “Beating is not from Heaven”, found that 81% considered beating to be an inefficient method of education, 70% believed that child protection against violence was inadequate, 76% believed that adults should be punished by the state for beating children, and 83% felt that corporal punishment should be prohibited by law.

(Reported by Save the Children Romania in correspondence with the Global Initiative)

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

A survey of 412 children in an Eastern Siberian city found that corporal punishment was a pervasive method of discipline, and a high incidence of children (28.9%) reported experiencing physical abuse.

(Berrien, F. B. et al., 1995, “Child abuse prevalence in Russian urban population: A preliminary report”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 19, pp.261-264. Cited in Shor, R., 1999, “Inappropriate child rearing practices as perceived by Jewish immigrant parents from the Former Society Union”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 23, no. 5, p.488)

According to the Child Abuse Network, statistics from police, court, medical and other sources show that between 1995 and 1998 the number of offences in which young people were the victims remained constant (over 17,000) but the main weight of offences shifted into the sphere of family and domestic relations. Between 1992 and 1996 there was a substantial increase in the number of successful actions for deprivation of parental rights (6,724 compared with 24,359). Between 1993 and 1996 there was a large increase in the number of children removed from their parents without deprivation of parental rights in cases of threat of violence or cruelty and also of improper care (3,401 compared with 6,724).

(See Child Abuse Network, http://www.canee.net/)

A 1989 survey of 7,000 school children in 15 cities revealed the use of corporal punishment to be widespread. More than half the children indicated that their parents relied on physical violence when they were disciplined. Two thirds of parents (66%) were teachers by occupation.

(DCI Newsletter, 1990, “Close-up: Corporal Punishment in the USSR”, vol. 7, pp.1-2)

ST KITTS AND NEVIS

As part of a large scale ethnographic study reported in 1991, 349 children aged 9-16 were given questionnaires and information sheets concerning physical punishment and children and caretakers were interviewed. 61% of children (69% of caretakers) agreed with the statement “Beatings are a good and normal part of raising children”; 73% of children (86% of caretakers) agreed with “It is for children’s own good that parents beat them”; 67% of children (80% of caretakers) agreed “I know my mother loves me because she beats me”; 93% of caretakers believed that parents should beat their children for misbehaviour and 94% agreed with the statement “He who spares the rod spoils the child”. The frequency and severity of physical punishment (including slapping, spanking, cuffing, thumping, burning, shoving and beating with an implement) were also researched. Children reported being punished on average over four times in a two week period, though some reported being punished several times daily. Younger children and boys were punished more often and more severely than older children and girls. Higher socio-economic status caretakers punished children less frequently and less severely than lower status caretakers.

(Rohner, R. P., Kean, K. J. & Cournoyer, D. E., 1991, “Effects of corporal punishment, perceived caretaker warmth, and cultural beliefs on the psychological adjustment of children in St Kitts, West Indies”, Journal of Marriage and the Family, vol.53, pp.681-693)

ST LUCIA

(Reported in The Barbados Advocate, 23 May 2007)

A UNICEF study on Child Rights in Saint Lucia (2000) found that the method of discipline of children most favoured by respondents was corporal punishment (59%), marginally greater among lower socio-economic respondents and males.

(Cited in initial state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2004, CRC/C/28/Add.23, para.98)

ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

(Reported in The Barbados Advocate, 23 May 2007)

SAUDI ARABIA

A news item in 2003 reported a recently published survey on corporal punishment in schools which found 59.5% of respondents in favour of reintroducing corporal punishment into schools, with 38.5% against.

(Reported in “Yes to corporal punishment”, Arab News, 30 June 2003)

SERBIA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 51% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (6%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 6% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

(Conragan, C., 2002, Children in conflict with the law: Victims of the transition – An assessment of the juvenile justice systems in the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro, UNICEF)

SIERRA LEONE

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 76% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (56%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 85% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

SINGAPORE

Research by the Singapore Children’s Society, published in October 2006, examined parents’ childrearing and how children view this. Over 1000 interviews were conducted with 533 parents (248 fathers, 285 mothers) and 533 children aged 10-12 years (262 boys and 271 girls) covering different ethnic groups, mostly middle-income families. The part of the study which focused on disciplinary practices found that reasoning was considered the most effective practice by both parents and children, but physical punishment was also used. Mothers tended to inflict physical punishment more frequently than fathers, though both regarded it as ineffective. Children were reported as “neutral” about both its effectiveness and its fairness.

(Shan, S.-C. H., Hawkins, R. & Whee, L. K., 2006, The Parenting Project: Disciplinary practices, childcare arrangements and parenting practices in Singapore, Singapore Children’s Society)

A 2000 study by the Singapore Children’s Society looked at public and professional perceptions of child abuse using a questionnaire sampling the views of 1,238 professionals (law enforcement, medical, social, educational, childcare) and comparing them with views of the public elicited in a 1996 study. The research found that public opinion agreed was that it was never acceptable to burn a child with hot objects, the majority felt that tying a child up was never acceptable (94.2%), more than half agreed that it was never acceptable to shake a child hard (68%) or to slap a child’s face (53.8%), but only 28.5% felt that caning a child was always unacceptable. Professional opinion differed, with a greater percentage than for the public considering it never acceptable to tie up (94.8%), shake (72.6%) or slap a child (56.9%), but fewer considering it always unacceptable to cane a child (17.3%).

(Chan, J. J., Chow, Y. & Elliott, J. M., 2000, Professional and Public Perceptions of Child Abuse and Neglect in Singapore, Singapore Children’s Society)

A telephone poll of 358 people following the resignation of a school principal for breaking Ministry of Education guidelines on corporal punishment was carried out by the Sunday Times (by the Singapore Press Holdings’ research arm in April 2004) and found that seven in 10 favoured corporal punishment, while nine in 10 said parents today were too protective of their children.

(Reported in Quek, T., 2004, “Go ahead, cane wayward students”, Sunday Times, Singapore, 2 May 2004)

A Lifestyle (Sunday Times) poll of 50 people found that nine in 10 think girls are less well-behaved than they used to be and six in 10 approved of corporal punishment for girls.

(Reported in Wee, T. C., 2004, “Girls behaving badly”, Sunday Times, Singapore, 9 May 2004)

An analysis of newspaper reports of caning sentences imposed in 1997-2000 found that of about 360 sentences reported, 30 (8%) involved teenagers. Reported cases are likely to reflect only a fraction of the total, and it was estimated that in total an estimated 280 16-19 year-olds were sentenced to caning during this period.

(Farrell, C. et al., 2002, “Judicial Caning in Singapore”, www.corpun.com/singfeat.htm)

SLOVAKIA

Research in 2000 on the prevalence of corporal punishment within the family by the Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies, involving 2,433 children aged 13-17 years, found that corporal punishment was common for 2.2% of the children. It was experienced occasionally by 38%, and never by 59.2%.

(International Centre for Family Studies, 2002, “The children’s rights applying in the praxis. Preliminary survey report”, Bratislava: International Centre for Family Studies)

Preliminary analysis of attitudinal research in 2002, undertaken by the Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies and involving 856 adults, found that 98.6% believed that parents should be allowed to use a “smack on the buttock from time to time”, 75.3% believed that parents should be allowed to use “occasional slaps”, 41.7% felt that occasional beating with an implement was acceptable, and 22.9% felt that repeated beating was acceptable.

(International Centre for Family Studies, 2003 in progress, “The prevalence of violence in Slovakia”, Bratislava: International Centre for Family Studies)

SLOVENIA

Official Government analyses of the work of social work centres from 1997 to 2000 show that physical violence against children accounted for about one in ten cases, and over half of these concerned children aged 7-14 years.

(Figures from the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs)

SOMALIA

Figures provided by the NGO Somalia Child Protection and Development (SOCPD) state that in one study 30% of adults and 40% of children reported some form of beating being administered.

(Reported by Somalia Child Protection and Development in correspondence with the Global Initiative, August 2004)

SOUTH AFRICA

The National Youth Victimisation Study released in May 2006 by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention reported on a survey of 4,409 young people aged between 12 and 22 years which found that nationally 51.4% of children continue to be subjected to corporal punishment in schools, with the lowest prevalence being 17% in the Western Cape. The survey also found that around a quarter of the youth live in a home where domestic violence between caregivers or parents is common.

(Reported in Shlensky, A., 2006, “Corporal punishment still rife in classrooms despite being banned”, Cape Times, 11 May 2006)

In 2004, Save the Children undertook qualitative research involving 410 boys and girls aged 6-18 years from four provinces in South Africa. The study found that children of all ages and income categories experienced corporal punishment at home and in school, although very few cases were reported by children in high income environments and children from Indian communities. The most common form of corporal punishment was beating with a belt; in schools it was most often inflicted using a ruler, stick or board duster on the hands. The most severe forms were experienced by children from low income environments, in both the home and school. Schools from high income areas were generally not using corporal punishment.

(Clacherty, G., Donald, D. & Clacherty, A., 2005, South African Children’s Experiences of Corporal Punishment, Pretoria: Save the Children Sweden)

The first national survey of attitudes to child rearing and the use of corporal punishment by caregivers was undertaken in 2003, as part of the South African Social Attitude Survey (SASAS). Out of a representative sample of 2,497 men and women over 16 years of age from all provinces, population groups and economic backgrounds, 952 parents with children were surveyed specifically on corporal punishment. 57% of parents reported using corporal punishment, most commonly on children aged 3 years, with 33% using severe corporal punishment (beating with a belt or stick), most commonly on 4-year-olds. Of those who had smacked their children in the past year, 30% were men and 70% were women, with fewer younger than older parents using corporal punishment. The study concluded that the strongest predictor of severe corporal punishment was an attitude supportive of the use of physical punishment.

(Dawes, A. et al., 2004, Partner violence, attitudes to child discipline & the use of corporal punishment: A South African national survey, Cape Town: Child Youth & Family Development, Human Sciences Research Council)

SPAIN

A consultation carried out by Save the Children Spain in the years following the campaign “Educate, do not punish”, found that public support for physical and psychological punishment fell from 47% to 27%.

(Reported by Save the Children Spain in correspondence with the Global Initiative, March 2005)

Research in 2004 by the National Social Research Centre found that 25.6% of adults believed it necessary to smack children to impose discipline, with 74.4% believing it unnecessary. However, 58.9% stated that it may be sometimes necessary to smack a child.

(Reported in International Save the Children Alliance, 2005, Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children – Making it Happen: Global Submission to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

A study in Madrid in 1998 found that 27.7% of parents had hit their children in the month before the research, with an average of three times per month; 2.7% of parents admitted having severely hit their children.

A nationwide survey in 1997 on attitudes towards maltreatment in the home found that 2% of parents believed it was essential to use corporal punishment often, 47.2% believed it was necessary sometimes, and 53.2% felt it was not a necessary part of childrearing, although this did not mean that they never used it. Women were more likely to use corporal punishment, especially on small children.

(Ministerio de Trabajo y asuntos socials, 1997, Spaniards’ Attitudes Towards Physical Punishment in Children, Ministerio de Trabajo y asuntos sociales)

In a study reported in 1995 comprising interviews with 426 undergraduate students, 57% reported experiencing physical punishment before the age of 13 years, with 7.8% reporting severe physical abuse.

(de Paul, Milner & Mugica, 1995, “Childhood maltreatment, childhood social support, and child abuse potential in a Basque sample”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 19, no. 8)

SUDAN

Research by Save the Children Sweden in Sudan looked at children’s experiences of physical punishment at home and in school. Two reformatories and custody centres were also visited. In schools, reasons for being beaten by teachers included late arrival (41.1%) and failure to complete homework or recite Koranic verses (45.1%); of children at Koranic schools, 89% gave the main reason for corporal punishment as imperfect recitation of Koranic verses. In the home, reasons included disobedience (35.6%), persistent demands (28.4%) and making loud noises (24%); 89% of interviewed parents believed corporal punishment to be the best technique for achieving desirable behaviour in their children. The most common form of corporal punishment by teachers and parents was reported by the children as whipping (87%). Almost half (48.1%) of the children stated that they would not use corporal punishment on children when they were older, but 37.9% intended to use it. The children reported experiencing corporal punishment as very painful (35.6%) and embarrassing (5.8%). The punishment also invoked fear of teachers or parents (16.3%), weakness (9.8%), lack of respect for the person inflicting the punishment (8.6%) and hatred of the people and the setting where the punishment was carried out (12.3%). In the reformatories and custody centres visited, 65% of juvenile offenders said they had received corporal punishment at some stage of the juvenile justice process; 87% of those interviewed while in custody said they had been beaten by police to obtain a confession.

(Save the Children Sweden, 2005, Ending Physical and Psychological Punishment against Children: Sudan, Ethiopia: Save the Children Sweden)

SURINAME

In a survey conducted by the Teachers Training College in 1999, 12.9% of parents reported that they applied corporal punishment; 50% endorsed the use of corporal punishment in school.

(Reported in second state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2005, CRC/C/SUR/2, para. 59)

SWAZILAND

A large scale survey by Save the Children in 2005 looked at the experience over a two week period of corporal punishment of 2,366 children aged 6-18 years from all of Swaziland’s four regions. Children revealed being subjected to high levels of corporal punishment in the home and at school: 18% reported being hit with the hand in the home during the period; 28% reported being beaten with objects such as sticks, belts, sjamboks and whips. Boys were punished for such behaviour as breaking or stealing things, not tending livestock properly, playing instead of working, or playing out too late. Young children, particularly girls, were punished in connection with household chores. In school during the two weeks, 28% of children reported being hit with a hand, and 59% reported being beaten with an object, most often sticks, canes, sjamboks and blackboard dusters. Other punishments included physical labour or physical (and often humiliating) activities causing pain and discomfort. Children reported experiencing humiliating punishment, 35% in the home, 28% in school, in addition to experiencing corporal punishment itself as humiliating. Generally, corporal punishment was more commonly used in low income environments and on younger children. 77% of children considered corporal punishment to be unacceptable in the home and in school; 81% felt humiliating punishment to be unacceptable. The study also involved qualitative research with 384 children from the regions.

(Clacherty, G., Donald, D. & Clacherty, A., 2005, Children’s Experiences of Corporal Punishment in Swaziland, Pretoria: Save the Children Sweden)

SWEDEN

A review of research published in 2000 found a significant decline in public support for corporal punishment between 1965, when 53% of the population supported its use, and 1997, when 11% (6% under the age of 35 years) found it acceptable.

(Durrant, J. E., 2000, A Generation Without Smacking: The impact of Sweden’s ban on physical punishment, London: Save the Children UK)

Studies carried out in 2000 on behalf of the Parliamentary Committee on Child Abuse and Related Issues involved interviews with parents of 1,609 children, a nationwide classroom questionnaire completed by 1,764 children aged 11-13 years, and a nationwide postal survey completed by 1,576 20 year-olds. Compared with earlier studies, fewer children (20%) reported experiencing corporal punishment, and less frequently than before; 4% of children aged 11-13 years and 7% of young adults aged 20 years reported experiencing severe corporal punishment with some sort of instrument. Interviews with parents revealed a marked change in attitudinal support for corporal punishment, from 53% in 1965 to 10% in 1999. The proportion of children accepting parental corporal punishment similarly decreased, from 50% in 1995 to 25% in 2000.

(Janson, S., 2000, Children and abuse – corporal punishment and other forms of child abuse in Sweden at the end of the second millennium: A scientific report prepared for the Committee on Child Abuse and Related Issues, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Sweden)

Surveys by the Swedish Department of Social Welfare in the 1990s found that 78% of adults considered corporal punishment unacceptable. They also showed a significant reduction in the use of corporal punishment since the legislative prohibition, with 30% of middle school aged students reporting experience of corporal punishment, contrasting with a 1979 finding of 50%.

(Statistics Sweden, 1996, Demography, the family and children, spanking and other forms of physical punishment: a study of adults’ and middle school students’ opinions, experience, and knowledge, Stockholm: Statistics Sweden)

SWITZERLAND

Research in 2004 by Fribourg University commissioned by the Federal Social Insurance Office involved interviews with 1,240 parents with children under the age of 16 years and found that the use of corporal punishment by parents is in decline but smaller children are more often subjected to beatings than older ones. Based on the findings, the study estimates that 13,000 children under the age of 30 months have been slapped, nearly 18,000 have been pulled by the hair and about 1,700 hit with objects.

(Schöbi, D. & Perrez, M., 2004, Bestrafungsverhalten von Erziehungsberechtigten in der Schweiz: Eine vergleichende Analyse des Bestrafungsverhaltens von Erziehungsberechtigten 1990 une 2004, Universität Fribourg (in German))

SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 74% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (13%) believed that children need to be physically punished.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

TAIWAN

In a nationwide survey by the Humanistic Education Foundation of 2,779 elementary and junior high school students in April and May 2007 more than 52.8% reported receiving corporal punishment, representing a decline compared with the figure of 64% for 2005. There was also a change in the types of punishment inflicted – student beatings dropped from 51% in 2005 to 27.3% in 2007, while the use of fazhan (standing for a certain period of time) increased from 9.7% in 2005 to 35% in 2007.

(Reported in the Taipei Times, 4 June 2007)

In January 2007, the findings from a survey of 5,630 elementary and junior high school educators who had attended discussions hosted by the 21^st Century Education Association in autumn 2006 were published, revealing that 30% of teachers believed that corporal punishment is appropriate and necessary in improving academic performance, study skills and students’ characters; 60% felt that educators would continue to use physical force as a disciplinary measure, despite the prohibition of corporal punishment in law; 69% felt that an online forum for sharing and discussing positive disciplinary methods would facilitate the move away from corporal punishment.

(Reported in The China Post, 19 January 2007)

The Humanistic Education Foundation conducted five surveys between 1999 and 2005 which showed a decline in the use of corporal punishment in schools. In 1999, 83.4% of students interviewed reported experiencing corporal punishment in that academic year. In 2000, the figure was 74.2%, in 2001 70.9%, and in 2004 it was 69.4%. In 2005, the survey was conducted in 23 cities/counties in Taiwan, involving 3,240 respondents (1,164 junior high school students and 2,076 primary school students). Almost two thirds of students (65.1%) reported having experienced corporal punishment, 56.2% of primary school students and 70% of junior high school students. The most common form of corporal punishment was by hitting on the palms or bottoms with a hand or stick (47.7%). Direct infliction of physical pain was used in 56.8% of cases (including hitting with a hand or stick, deprivation of physical needs, holding painful postures). Almost a quarter (23.9%) of students received punishment that may constitute crimes of assault, instigation of assault or public insults. Almost one in ten (9.5%) of those who experienced physical pain were punished in this way over 10 times during the year.

(Humanistic Education Foundation, 2005, How much does it hurt? Only the children can tell: HEF 2005 survey of corporal punishment in schools, HEF)

TAJIKISTAN

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 55% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (15%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 74% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

THAILAND

In November 2006, the findings of a study funded by the National Health Foundation were released which showed that corporal punishment continues to be used in schools, despite its prohibition. The research constituted a questionnaire sent to 1,300 teachers in primary and high schools across the country. Punishments reported included hitting students with open palms, fists, clothes and blunt objects, kicking, applying heated materials and slapping the face. Up to 60% of the teachers strongly believed that corporal punishment was the right method to use with students.

(Reported in The Nation, 17 November 2006)

The government’s written reply to the list of issues raised by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2005 gives the following figures for the percentages of children aged 6-12 and 13-17 experiencing domestic violence in 2003: being yelled at/scolded 45.9% and 51.5% respectively; being cursed with bad words 31.1% and 32.1%; being condemned 6.0% and 8.2%; being compared to an animal 8.3% and 11.8%; being whipped/caned 27.9% and 7.8%; being thrown at with an object 6.6% and 7.2%; having hair pulled 5.0% and 2.2%; being slapped 3.7% and 3.0%; being kicked and punched 2.9% and 2.5%; being trampled on 1.4% and 0.9%; having head knocked against the wall 0.7% and 0.2%; and being burned with a cigarette 0.3% and 0.1%.

(Associate Prof. L. Mohsuwan et al., 2003, reported in Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Replies to the List of Issues Sent by The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/C/THA/Q/2/Add.1, 2005)

A survey in 2001 of 9,488 young people aged 1-18 years in 16 provinces, reported by the Thailand Research Fund, found that 45.9% of children were verbally and physically attacked by their parents and elder relatives.

(Reported in the Bangkok Post, 1 October 2003, cited in International Save the Children Alliance, 2004, How to research the physical and emotional punishment of children: Resource Handbook, Bangkok, Thailand: International Save the Children Alliance)

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 26% of those surveyed in Thailand reported having been beaten by their parents.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

In 1999, a study by the Department of Family Health in the Faculty of Family Health, Mahidol University, of 212 grade six students looked at the characteristics and frequency of physical and emotional violence against children by their biological parents. Almost all respondents (95.3%) reported being treated violently by their parents, and for 76.7% this involved physical violence. The most common form of physical violence was beating with a cane or belt.

(Isaranurug, S., Chansatitporn, N., Auewattana, P. & Wongarsa, C., 2002, “Violence against children by parents”, Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, vol. 85, no. 8, pp. 875-80)

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 53% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (7%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 21% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

TIMOR-LESTE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF

Research carried out in 2004/5 by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Labour and Community Reinsertion, UNCEF and Plan International, examined the attitudes and practices of teachers and parents towards discipline of children. Self administered questionnaires were completed by 168 students and interviews were carried out with 1,031 parents and 31 community leaders; focus group discussions were held separately with students, parents, children who lived in residential care, and residential care staff. Over two thirds of children (67%) reported being beaten with a stick by teachers, and 39% reported being slapped on the face by teachers. Three out of five (60%) reported being beaten with a stick by their parents. Almost two thirds of parents (63%) felt it acceptable to yell violently at a child; almost two in five (39%) said it was acceptable to beat a child with a stick, and just over a third considered other physical punishments such as ear twisting and face slapping acceptable.

(UNICEF, 2006, Speak Nicely to Me – A Study on Practices and Attitudes about Discipline of Children in Timor-Leste)

In a survey by UNICEF of more than 500 children aged 9-17 years, carried out in 2001, 53% of children said “my parents beat me when I do something wrong”; 44% said that people hit each other in their homes; and while 87% of children found it easy to talk to their teachers about school related problems, among the remaining children 34% stated the reason they found it difficult to talk to teachers was because “they beat me”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

TOGO

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 73% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (33%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 53% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

From mid-2005, Plan Togo commissioned research into violence and abuse in schools (Plan Togo, 2006). This included a joint study with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) which involved interviews with 1,000 schoolchildren in 35 villages and with more than 500 mothers of school aged children, teachers, traditional chiefs, members of security services, social workers and others, a case study on violence and abuse in Togolese schools comprising 19 first-person narratives and observations based on interviews with children, parents and teachers in 7 villages and 2 towns, and a discussion of structural violence in the education system in Togo. In the FAWE research, children in their last 3 years of primary school were interviewed: 88% of the girls and 87% of the boys reported experiencing physical violence at school; 52% of girls and 48% of boys reported experiencing threatening behaviour or psychological violence.

(Plan Togo, 2006, Suffering to Succeed? Violence and abuse in schools in Togo, Lome: Plan Togo)

A 2003 Human Rights Watch report on child trafficking in Togo noted that many boys had been recruited into agricultural labour and worked very long hours, with many recalling that taking time off for sickness or injury would lead to longer working hours or corporal punishment. Most boys interviewed reported suffering physical injuries on the job and some of these were from corporal punishment by employers. The report notes that girls trafficked for domestic or market labour also experienced frequent beatings, carried out by bosses or by other neighbours.

(Human Rights Watch, 2003, Borderline Slavery: Child Trafficking in Togo)

TONGA

An ethnographic study of childrearing in Tonga in the late 1980s and early 1990s found that physical punishment varied considerably between households in frequency and intensity but that there were common methods and motivations for the punishments. Children were most often hit with the hand or other object, and other common punishments included pinching, and pulling the hair or ear. Children could be punished by anyone older than them within their extended family.

(Kavapalu, 1993, “Dealing with the dark side in the ethnography of childhood: Child punishment in Tonga”, Oceania, vol. 63, pp.313-329, reported in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

A survey of adolescents in schools was carried out by an ethnographer who had been a schoolteacher in Tonga examined their feelings and beliefs about parental corporal punishment. The children explained the punishments as being because of their parents’ love, given because they deserved it and to teach them, but they also experienced it as a withdrawal of love and the majority reported negative responses to the punishments. The two most common responses were repentance and guilt, followed by anger (23.8%) and sadness (22.9%). The children reported feeling lonely, unwanted, afraid, not wanting to eat or talk, wanting to run away, wanting to die. Some said they hated their parents and wanted to punish them.

(Morton, H., 1996, Becoming Tongan: An Ethnography of Childhood, University of Hawai Press, USA, reported in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific – Save the Children Sweden Southeast Asia and the Pacific, regional submission to the UN Secretary General’s Global Study on Violence against Children, Save the Children Sweden)

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 51% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (25%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 8% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

TUNISIA

A study published in 1987 reported that only 20% of interrogated families reported that they never beat their children, that it is considered normal in the traditional culture to inflict corporal punishment on children and wives when they disobey, and that 64% of parents consider that beating their child is good for his/her education. Young boys under 12 years are more exposed to corporal punishment than girls, and fathers are generally responsible for inflicting punishment, though mothers and teachers also beat children.

(Moncef, M., 1987, “L’enfant battu et les attitudes culturelles: l’exemple de la Tunisia”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.II, pp.137-141, cited in OMCT, Rights of the Child in Tunisia)

TURKEY

Research in 1999 by UNICEF Turkey concerning children living and working on the streets, found that one third of children living on the streets reported leaving home because of the violence they had to face there.

(UNICEF Turkey, 1999, “Participatory Action Research on the Children Living and Working on the Streets”, UNICEF Activity Report)

Research involving 1,800 children and young people aged 10-18 years in Istanbul found that 23% reported experiencing physical punishment by their parents, and this was more common for children below the age of 14 years than for older children.

(Erkman, F., 2003, paper presented at the Society for Cross Cultural Research Conference, South Carolina, February 2003)

UGANDA

A survey of 500 young women in Uganda aged 18-24 years concerning their childhood experiences of violence, undertaken by the Africa Child Policy Forum and published in 2006, found that 94.2% had been subjected to physical violence. Beating with an object was found to be the most prevalent form of physical violence (85.8%). Prevalence figures for other forms of physical violence were 55% for punching, 26.8% kicking, 47.8% hard work, 20.4% being choked/burned/stabbed, 9% having spicy/bitter food put in mouth, 18.2% being locked or tied up, and 52.8% being denied food. Girls were found to be most vulnerable to beating with an object when aged 10-13 years (57.1%), and to being hit/punched when aged 14-17 years (44%). Experiencing the violence more than ten times was more likely in the case of beating than other types of physical violence. Most beating with an object was carried out by male teachers (48.5%), followed by fathers (43.4%) and mothers (42.9%), and in 57.3% of cases medical attention was required. Most hitting/punching was carried out by fathers (22.9%), followed by mothers (17.1%) and brothers (15.6%), with medical attention required in 21.1% of cases. At school, girls were told they were beaten for being late, for misbehaving, or for being disrespectful. At home, the reasons given for beating or hitting included breaking/losing something, being disrespectful to their elders, or not doing housework.

(Stavropoulos, J., 2006, Violence Against Girls in Africa: A Retrospective Survey in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, Addis Ababa, The African Child Policy Forum)

In-depth research into children’s experiences of violence against them was carried out in 2005 using a range of methods to look at the stories and opinions of 1,406 children aged 8-18 years (719 girls, 687 boys) and 1,093 adults (520 women, 573 men), including parents, teachers and community leaders, from five diverse districts. This included the administration of 1,000 questionnaires to children (in and out of school), of which 777 were valid returns, and 900 questionnaires to adults, of which 755 were valid returns. Other methods were focus groups, narrative role play, journal writing and interviews. Almost all children (98.3%) reported experiencing physical violence at home and/or school. The most common forms were caning, slapping and pinching, followed by burning, locking up, tying up and other (e.g. kneeling, slashing grass, cleaning latrines), all more common for boys than girls except slapping, pinching and other. Older boys were more likely to experience severe physical violence. Almost one third (31.3%) said they experienced physical violence at least once per week and 15% said it happened “every day”; 38.8% said it occurred mainly at home, 28.6% said mainly at school and 31.8% said both at school and home. Most adults (90%) agreed that in their communities children were deliberately beaten, with 37% saying children in their communities were “frequently mistreated”; 55.1% said “sometimes mistreated”. Most (91.3%) described using a combination of physical and emotional punishment, most commonly caning (78.3%), slapping (45.7%), pinching (42.8%), assigning excessive work (19.3%), and locking children up (11.4%), tying them up (3.4%) and burning them (2.9%). Apart from caning, these figures are significantly lower than those given by the children. Only 1.2% said they themselves never punished children. While 87.9% said they punished children to guide their behaviour, only 32.6% believed the punishment would change the behaviour. More than four out of five (81.7%) said they punished their own children and 57.9% said they felt comfortable punishing other children in the community. Of teachers, 80.1% reported punishing their own children and 60.4% their students. Of community leaders, 89.4% punished their own children compared with 22.4% punishing others’ children.

(Naker, D., 2005, Violence Against Children – The Voices of Ugandan Children and Adults, Raising Voices/Save the Children in Uganda)

Research reported in 2004 looked at the problem of violence against children in Uganda and found that physical abuse was the most common form. More than nine out of ten children (93.3%) reported having experienced physical violence including caning, slapping and pinching. Of those who experienced physical violence, 16.1% said it occurred at least once a week, 15% said it occurred daily.

(Dipak, 2004, “Raising Voices Uganda”, cited in Derib, A., 2005, Regional Report on Physical and Humiliating Punishment Against Children, Save the Children)

In research by Save the Children UK focusing on deprivation and criminal behaviour, carried out in 2002, 116 children who had been convicted of theft and children at the national rehabilitation centre, aged 10-19 years and 71 parents/guardians were interviewed. The prohibition of caning in the juvenile justice system under the Children’s Statute was perceived as a weakness by 14% of parents. The research confirmed that despite the law, children are tortured and beaten in police stations. 52% of parents said they normally disciplined their children by caning.

(Kakama, P.T., 2002, Deprivation of Basic Needs as a Motivator for Criminal Activities among Children, Save the Children UK)

Research carried out by the Mulago Child Health Development Centre showed that mothers were the main enforcers of corporal punishment, and between 55% and 82% of them reported caning, slapping or beating their children.

(Cited in Economic and Social Council, 1999, Report submitted by Ms Katarina Tomasevski, Special Rapporteur on the right to education Addendum Mission to Uganda 26 June – 2 July 1999, E/CN.4/2000/6/Add.1)

The initial state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child cites research by the Child Law Review Committee which established that of the 129 children who were found guilty and sentenced, 15.5% were caned.

(Initial state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 1996, CRC/C/3/Add.40, para. 243)

UKRAINE

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 36% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (16%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 5% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

UNITED KINGDOM

Between November 2005 and October 2006, there were a total of 3,036 incidents of restraint in the four secure training centres (STCs); 41% of these (1,245 incidents) were perpetrated on girls who represent 34% of the STC population.

(Reply to Parliamentary question, reported in The Howard League for Penal Reform, 2007, Briefing for House of Lords Debate on the use of restraint in secure training centres)

In April 2007, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) published the results of a survey of 1,000 adults in which 77% believed smacking is becoming less acceptable. The survey was part of the NSPCC’s campaign to stop children being smacked in shops. It revealed that a child being smacked in public had been witnessed by 41% of respondents within the previous six months. The majority of adults (86%) would be happy to shop in a smack-free shop, while 40% would actively prefer to shop where smacking was prohibited; almost all (93%) said they would like shops to take action to help parents losing their tempers with their children. When asked how they felt on seeing a child being smacked, 65% of respondents said they felt concerned for the child; 51% felt upset; 51% said they would like to stop the child being smacked, with 42% of those wanting to comfort the child and 47% wanting to help the parent.

(Reported by the NSPCC, 10 April 2007)

In a survey of 1,250 people by the organisation Parenting Across Scotland, 90% of respondents said they choose to discuss problems. While 7% said it was acceptable to smack a child, 20% admitted having done so in the last year, with a further 36% saying they had threatened physical punishment.

(Reported in BBC News, 27 February 2007)

In a 2004 poll of 2,004 adults in England and Wales, 56% agreed that “it is wrong for someone to hit a child in their family”, compared with 31% who disagreed. Over half of the respondents (57%) thought that children and adults should have the same protection in law from being hit while nearly a third (29%) thought children should have more protection; only 7% thought that adults should have greater protection from assault. Nearly three quarters (71%) said they would support changing the law to give children the same protection from being hit as adult family members.

(MORI, 2004, Attitudes to hitting family members: Research study conducted for the Children Are Unbeatable! Alliance)

In a MORI poll in 1999, 73% of respondents thought children should have the same legal protection against assault as adults if they could be sure parents would not be prosecuted for trivial smacks. Nearly all (93%) felt that parents should not be allowed to hit children with belts, sticks or other implements, and most (89%) thought parents should not be allowed to smack children under one year old.

(MORI, 1999, Attitudes towards smacking children: UK research study conducted by MORI for “Children Are Unbeatable!”, January 1999)

The UK Department of Health commissioned a large-scale Community Study of Physical Violence to Children in the Home and Associated Variables in the 1990s. It found very high frequency of physical punishments, including severe punishment. The large majority (91%) of children had been hit. Frequency of hitting declined with age. Only 25% of the babies aged up to one year in the study had never been smacked by their mothers; 14% of these one-year-olds had been smacked with “moderate” severity, and 38% had been smacked more than once a week. The study included interviews with both parents in 99 two-parent families. It found that one fifth of children in these families had been hit with an implement and over one third (35%) had at some time experienced a punishment that was rated as “severe” (defined as punishments “that were intended to, had the potential to, or actually did cause physical and/or psychological injury or harm to the child”).

(Nobes, G. et al., 1997, “Physical punishment of children in two-parent families”, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.271–281; also summary presented as a poster by Dr Marjorie Smith at the Fifth European Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Oslo, May 1995)

Research by Save the Children in Scotland, carried out in 2000, looked at the opinions of 1,319 children and young people aged 6-18 years, using focus groups and questionnaires. Of the 1,249 children who completed the questionnaires, 93% said there were other ways that parents could discipline their children, without hitting them. 76% believed that it is wrong for a parent or other adult to hit a child. Most believed that hitting was the result of a parent’s feelings of anger, stress and frustration, rather than a reasonable act, and most described feeling distressed when they were hit.

(Cutting, E., 2001, “It doesn’t sort anything”: A report on the views of children and young people about the use of physical punishment, Edinburgh: Save the Children)

Research by Save the Children in Northern Ireland, published in 2002, involved questionnaires and interviews with 189 children aged 4-11 years. Two thirds believed that children were hit because they are “bad, bold, cheeky, doing things wrong or doing wrong things”; one in four believed that children are hit because of how the adult is feeling. More than 80% of children used words like “hurt, sad, sore, upset, unhappy, unloved, heartbroken, awful” to describe how they felt when they were hit. 94% said they would not smack their children when they themselves became parents. Fewer than three in 20 thought it was acceptable for an adult to hit a child.

(Horgan, G., 2002, It’s a hit, not a “smack”: A booklet about what children think about being hit or smacked by adults, Belfast: Save the Children)

Comparable findings were revealed in similar research by Save the Children in England and in Wales.

(Crowley, A. & Vulliamy, C., Listen Up! Children Talk: About Smacking, Cardiff: Save the Children; Willow, C. & Hyder, T., 1998, It hurts you inside – children talking about smacking, National Children’s Bureau and Save the Children)

In a survey for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Northern Ireland and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Child of 1,100 children aged 8-15 years, almost a tenth of children reported that teachers threatened to slap them, and 4% said that they actually did, even though corporal punishment is banned. One fifth said their parents smacked them, though relationships with parents were positive.

(McGill, P., 1996, “Pupils in Ireland fear test failure”, Times Educational Supplement, 23 August 1996)

UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

Research into the use of corporal punishment in schools across the country revealed a high prevalence rate and the strong support of parents in both urban and rural schools: 65% of pupils accepted corporal punishment, 85% of parents. All pupils disliked corporal punishment. Punishments included contorted body positions, frog jumps, push ups, kneeling down, standing in bright sunshine, lying on sand and lifting stones, with most pupils being subjected to more than two types.

(“Kuleana study on corporal punishment in primary schools in Mara region”, 1997, reported in initial state party report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 1999, CRC/C/8/Add.14/Rev.1, paras.187-194)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Federal statistics show that during the 2002-3 school year, more than 300,000 American schoolchildren were disciplined with corporal punishment, usually one or more blows with a thick wooden paddle. Sometimes holes were cut in the paddle to make the beating more painful. Of those students, 70% were in five Southern states: Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas.

(Reported in New York Times, 30 September 2006)

A telephone interview survey of 600 adults in each of the 50 states, carried out by SurveyUSA of Verona NJ in August 2005, found that overall almost three out of four (72%) supported the use of spanking as a disciplinary method (ranging from 55% in Vermont to 87% in Alabama), with almost one in four (23%) believing it acceptable for a teacher to spank a child (ranging from 8% in New Hampshire to 53% in Arkansas and Mississippi). Nearly one third (31%) believed it is acceptable to wash out a child’s mouth with soap (from 23% in Hawaii, Maryland and Massachusetts to 46% in Idaho).

(SurveyUSA, Verona NJ, August 2005, Disciplining a Child 08/24/05, www.surveyusa.com/50StateDisciplineChild0805SortedbyTeacher.htm)

An ABC News telephone poll of a random national sample of 1,015 adults in 2002 found that overall 65% approved of spanking children, with 31% disapproving; 72% thought that teachers should not be permitted to spank children in school.

(ABC News poll conducted by telephone, 25-29 October 2002; fieldwork by International Communications Research of Media, Pennsylvania)

Official data on corporal punishment in US public schools for the 1999-2000 school year, released in February 2003 (and as at July 2005 the most recent available), reported that overall 342,038 students were subjected to corporal punishment. This is a drop of 7% from the previous survey two years earlier (taking enrolment increases into account), and continues a steady trend. Total US public school enrolment in 1999-2000 was 46,306,355. According to data for the 23 states which have not prohibited all corporal punishment in public schools, the highest rates for school corporal punishment were in Mississippi (48,627 or 9.8% of students), Arkansas (40,437 or 9.1% of students), Alabama (39,197 or 5.4% of students), and Tennessee (38,373 or 4.2% of students). Black students were hit at a rate more than twice their proportion in the population: they comprised 17% of students, but suffered 39% of paddlings; white students made up 62% of all students, but suffered 53% of the corporal punishment.

(US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2000 Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report, analysis from the Center for Effective Discipline, http://www.stophitting.com/)

A nationally representative sample of 991 American parents, interviewed in the mid-1990s, examined six types of corporal punishment: slaps on the hand or leg, spanking on the buttocks, pinching, shaking, hitting on the buttocks with a belt or paddle and slapping in the face. The study found that the overall percentage of parents using any of these types of corporal punishment during the previous year was 35% for infants and reached a peak of 94% at ages 3 and 4 years. Despite a rapid decline in use after the age of 5 years, just over half of American parents hit children at age 12 years, a third at age 14 years, and 13% at age 17 years. Further analysis found that parents who hit teenage children did so on average about six times during the year. Severity, as measured by hitting the child with a belt or paddle, was greatest for children aged 5–12 years (28% of such children).

(Straus, M. A. & Stewart, J. H., 1999, “Corporal Punishment by American Parents: National Data on Prevalence, Chronicity, Severity, and Duration, in Relation to Child and Family Characteristics”, Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.55-70)

A review of the research literature on child abuse in daycare settings, with an emphasis on identifying variables associated with victims, perpetrators and settings, found that physical abuse in daycare centres and homes most frequently occurred in the context of “disciplining” the child, and may have been supported by parental permission for corporal punishment.

(Schumacher, R.B. & Carlson, R.S., 1999, “Variables and risk factors associated with child abuse in daycare settings”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 23, no. 9, pp.891-898)

A 1995 survey in America found that 49% of parents admitted to disciplining their children by hitting the child with an object other than on the buttocks, kicking the child, beating the child, and threatening the child with a gun.

(Straus, M. A. et al., 1998, “Identification of child maltreatment with the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales: development and psychometric data for a national sample of American parents”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 22, pp.249-270, cited in Krug, E. G. et al., eds, 2002, World report on violence and health, Geneva: World Health Organisation, p.62)

Research has found that over 90% of toddlers are spanked or subjected to other forms of corporal punishment, and almost 50% of adults recall receiving corporal punishment as children.

(Straus, M. A. & Kantor, G. K., 1994, “Corporal punishment of adolescents by parents: A risk factor in the epidemiology of depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, child abuse, and wife beating”, Adolescence, vol. 29, pp.543-561, cited in Youssef, M. S.-E.-D. A. & Kamel, M. I., 1998, “Children experiencing violence I: Parental use of corporal punishment”, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 22, no. 10, p.960)

In a survey of American primary care physicians, 67% supported physical punishment, with younger physicians more likely to support corporal punishment (63% aged over 40, 72% under 40).

(McCormick, K. F., 1992, “Attitudes of primary care physicians and pediatricians towards corporal punishment”, Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 267, pp.3161-3165, cited in Hesketh, T., Hong, Z. S. & Lynch, M. A., 2000, “Child abuse in China: the views and experiences of child health professionals”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 24, no. 6, pp.867-872)

VANUATU

Research conducted for Pacific Children’s Program by a team from the University of South Pacific found that corporal punishment is common and can be severe. The rationale for its use is to “teach children about correct thinking and appropriate behaviour”, although it is often administered in anger. The most common type of punishment is “whipping”, used in the home and in schools.

(Hughes, D., 2002, Qualitative Study on Child Protection Practices: Vanuatu Report, University of South Pacific, Report prepared for International Development Support Services, Pacific Children’s Program)

VIET NAM

According to a statistical review by UNICEF, 61% of children aged 2-14 experienced minor physical punishment in the home in 2005-2006, although a smaller percentage of mothers/caretakers (46%) believed that children need to be physically punished. The same review reported that 64% of girls and women aged 15-49 believed that a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.

(UNICEF, 2007, Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children – Statistical Review, Number 6, December 2007)

Large scale comparative research into the views and experiences of 3,322 children and 1,000 adults in 8 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Viet Nam) was carried out by Save the Children in 2005. The research in Viet Nam involved 498 children (225 boys, 273 girls) from urban rural and remote areas, and 306 adults (85 men, 219 women). Methods used included research diaries, drawings, body maps, attitude survey, sentence completion, and discussions. Physical punishments mentioned by children in Viet Nam included hitting with implements, punching, kicking, pinching, twisting body parts, throwing objects, and electric shocks. At home, punishment by family members included: arm broken, beaten on the buttocks until raw then a mixture of salt and chilli rubbed on the wounds, beaten with a thick stick, ear twisted until torn and bleeding, electrocution with wires, excess labour, kneeling on the spiky peel of durian fruit, standing naked outside the house, standing under the weight of a buffalo yoke, head repeatedly submerged in water, hanging on a tree and beaten until unconscious, hung on an electricity pole, hung on a wall by the hands, hung upside down from a tree, tied next to an ants’ nest, tied to a bicycle and forced to run alongside it, and being whipped while hanging from a tree. Punishments by teachers at school included: confined under a bed, standing in front of class and being denounced by classmates, hit on forehead by ruler thrown by teacher, hit on head by box of chalks, not being allowed to eat, stripped naked and beaten on the back, and two children being forced to slap each other on their cheeks. Of those who were hit, 50% were hit with an implement (34.8% with sticks etc, 15.2% with a whip, lash or belt), 45.5% were slapped with the hand, and 4.5% kicked. Of those children who mentioned body parts where they were hit, 26% reported being hit on the head and neck, 27% on the limbs, 11% on the back, 13% buttocks, 5% chest, 4% stomach, and 1% genitalia. In the home 81% of children experienced physical punishment, 19% emotional punishment; in school 69% experienced physical punishment and 31% emotional punishment.

A comparative study of 10,073 children aged 9-17 years across East Asia and the Pacific by UNICEF and Research International Asia (Thailand) in 2001 found that 27% of those surveyed in Vietnam reported having been beaten by their parents. The reason for children finding it difficult to talk to teachers was given by 5% of the children as because the teachers “beat them”.

(UNICEF, 2001, Speaking Out! Voices of Children and Adolescents in East Asia and the Pacific)

YEMEN

A sample of 1325 city schoolchildren and 274 rural schoolchildren in Yemen, together with their parents and teachers, participated in questionnaire based research into the prevalence of corporal punishment, reported in 2004. It was found that 80% of mothers in the rural area and 59% of mothers in the city use corporal punishment to discipline their children. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to be spanked, and the lower the level of the mothers’ education, the more likely they were to use corporal punishment. Experience of severe corporal punishment was linked with poor educational achievement for the child, and corporal punishment was found to contribute to a child’s mental health difficulties. The most common forms of punishment were hitting with the hand, a belt, stick or other implement. Other measures included locking, tying, biting and pinching.

(Alyahri, A., 2004, “Mental health, education and corporal punishment in Yemeni school-aged children”, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London)

A synthesis in 2005 of research on physical and humiliating punishment of children in Yemen found that almost 90% of children reported that physical and humiliating punishment is the main method of disciplining them in the family. The most common form of punishment in the home was beating, especially for girls in rural areas. Severe physical punishment, including hitting with a stick, was more commonly used against boys in urban areas. Punishments were usually inflicted by mothers and fathers, but also by elder brothers. Corporal punishment in schools was found to be even more common and more severe, with over 90% of children reporting that it is the most commonly used form of punishment. A third of children in social care institutions reported experiencing severe treatment and a further third reported moderate treatment, including being beaten with a stick. Parents report that punishment usually begins to be inflicted on children between the ages of 5 and 7 years, though children as young as 1 are punished, and ceases at the age of 15 years.

(Habasch, R., 2005, Physical and Humiliating Punishment of Children in Yemen, Save the Children Sweden)

ZAMBIA

A large scale survey conducted by Save the Children in 2005, involving 2,321 children aged 6-18 years from all nine of Zambia’s provinces, looked at children’s experiences of corporal punishment over a two week period. The findings were also informed by in depth qualitative research with 384 children from four provinces. The research found that 24% of children reported experiencing corporal punishment in the home during the period, including being beaten with hands, sticks and belts. Despite the prohibition of corporal punishment at school, 32% reported being hit with a hand during the period and 38% with an object, most commonly a stick or hosepipe. Other punishments included hard physical labour and excessive physical exercise. Humiliating punishment was reported as being experienced in the home by 43% of children and in school by 37%. Corporal punishment was more common in low income than high income environments and more common for younger (6-12 years) than older (13-18 years) children. It was most often inflicted by mothers in the home and by teachers in schools. It was also administered by prefects in boarding schools. Almost three in four children (70%) felt corporal punishment was unacceptable in the home and in school; 79% felt that humiliating punishment was unacceptable.

(Clacherty, G., Donald, D. & Clacherty, A., 2005, Zambian Children’s Experiences of Corporal Punishment, Pretoria: Save the Children Sweden)

ZIMBABWE

An analysis of epidemiological data of reported physical abuse of primary school pupils by teachers between January 1990 and December 1997 (73.9% reported to the Ministry of Education, 26.1% to the police) examined cases of corporal punishment which violated the regulations established for its administration (see above). The study found that of 38 cases, in 80.4% the victims were beaten, whipped or hit, 10.9% were clapped or slapped, 4.3% were punched with fists, 2.2% were kicked, and 2.2% punched. Boys were more commonly physically punished than girls (58.7% compared with 41.3% respectively).

(Shumba, A., 2001, “Epidemiology and etiology of reported cases of child physical abuse in Zimbabwean primary schools”, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 25, pp.265-277)