Hardly a day goes by without reading a touching, perhaps heart-wrenching, report in the papers that some poor child has suffered the abuse of corporal punishment in his home or school that may damage the child mentally or physically for life.
And the question on many levels is: why? Why the necessity of corporal punishment? How can hitting children be justified for whatever reason?
If we truly believe that children are 'a gift from God' (as we are told countless times), what right does any mortal have to interfere in adjusting God's perfect creation by beating-out all of the good qualities He's bestowed? What kind of people would do something like that? The evil actions of corporal punishment are not endorsed by religion or cannot be construed to be an act of love in the form of discipline.
What also puzzles me is when I hear parents say they love their children "more than anything on earth" and, if needs be, they would give their own life in their place. Yet, six days a week they send them to hellhole schools and madrasahs where they know corporal punishment is practiced and all sorts of dangers await them. What kind of a parent would do something like that to the person they say they love most? In circumstances like that, it's best not to be loved at all.
Attending school should not be a daily lottery for the child - luck of the draw - in which some thug of a 'teacher' decides if a child should suffer or not.
One of the reasons why corporal punishment has been banned in many schools worldwide is because 'teachers' themselves are in desperate need of discipline and professional re-training. They've learned their profession from books written in archaic times and have failed to subscribe to the modern version and move with the times.
Teachers are the all-powerful (and in many villages where ignorance is used as local currency, they view themselves akin to being masters over slaves, and act cruelly, dishonourably and most probably damage many children - both mentally and physically - in the process.
And the only reason they get away with their consistent brutality is through the ignorance of the parents, politicians, 'teachers' and, seemingly, the unions to which they are members.
Instead of putting their own house in order, unshackling themselves from archaic thinking and meeting the 21st-centuary modern world head-on, they seem to want to reverse the times and promote the abominable cruel days taught to them by their parents, grandparents and those before them, when ignorance reigned supreme and people, parents and teachers alike, knew no better ("I was given corporal punishment and it did me no harm," he says, as he reaches for his medication). These people of bygone days had ignorance as an excuse and knew no better and corporal punishment in the homes and schools were perceived to be 'discipline'. Discipline and corporal punishment, however, are totally unrelated. Our Bangladeshi Nobel literature laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who abhorred corporal punishment, said: "To discipline means to teach, not to punish". Sadly, most 'teachers' haven't read those immortal words of truth, learned from them, or have chosen to ignore them.
Let's put some facts on the table…
FACT 1: There are no excuses whatsoever for corporal punishment, except ignorance of the facts. There are no redeeming factors. It's never right to hit a child. Violence should not be taught in the classroom or home. Facts are facts that cannot be altered. Corporal punishment is evil and wrong and teaches evil and wrong and that violence is right.
Suicide
Pause momentarily and ask yourself how could hitting children by hand, cane, strap, or other objects, kicking, shaking or throwing them against the wall, scratching, pinching, biting or pulling their hair, forcing them to stay in uncomfortable positions be right?
Or tying them up with ropes, chains or tape, burning, scalding or forcing them to wash their tongues with soap, getting them to drink sewer water, cut themselves with old rusted razor blades, brand them for life with scorching hot spatulas or binding them in chains, to name a few? (And that's not even taking into the consideration the children who commit suicide out of frustration, despair and feeling unloved).
FACT 2: No religion or decent society allows corporal punishment. There is no doubt 'spare the rod and spoil the child' is perfect advice for parents, headmasters and teachers alike. The problem, however, lies in the flawed translation of the word 'rod' which has caused thousands, if not millions, of children to suffer over the years. In Hebrew the word "rod" is the same word used in Psalms 23:4, 'thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.'
The shepherd's rod/staff was/is used to ENCOURAGE, GUIDE, and DISCIPLINE the sheep towards taking a desired direction, NOT to beat, hurt or damage them. No farmer would damage his valuable stock.
The correct interpretation of the proverb, therefore, should read 'spare good GUIDANCE and spoil the child'.
And this, you must admit, makes sense. But if you are in doubt, pause a moment or two again... can you imagine the holiest of holy men like Muhammad or Jesus, who preached universal love, beating and damaging an innocent little child for some silly trifling mistake that adds up to nothing in the end? Isn't it more likely they would shake their head or a finger in a loving manner, smile, point out the error of their ways and offer them verbal correction?
Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, told the world media recently that Islam STRICTLY prohibits physical punishment of both males and females.
The Bible
Where does it say in the Bible that Mary and Joseph beat Jesus or that Jesus beat the children he taught?
In 2011 High Court justices Md. Imman Ali and Sheikh Hassan Arif outlawed the barbaric practice of corporal punishment in Bangladesh schools and madrasahs declaring it to be "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child's fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom".
FACT 3: Corporal punishment makes sense only to the totally ignorant (those who know no better), those not very good at teaching, and the mentally disturbed or to masochists.
There isn't a shred of evidence in support of corporal punishment. Even religious bodies have carried out independent extensive research hoping to support their misconduct and misdeeds, but miserably failed.
On the other hand, it is now bordering on being criminal the amount of reports and books that have been published protesting the horrific practice because they're decreasing the tree population!
All the reports, without exception, contain thoroughly researched and irrefutable evidence that conclusively prove beyond a shadow of doubt, the practice is harmful and dangerous to the individual and society at large.
It's been proven over and over and over again that corporal punishment serves no useful purpose whatsoever and doesn't aid in raising a child's development or help to make them better citizens. It's impossible…impossible…impossible to beat-in love and respect.
Research from the American Psychological Association, the Journal of Family Psychology, and others generally concludes that hitting children has long-term negative effects. Similar research shows that hitting is rarely effective at promoting the desired behaviours.
FACT 4: A child/person will NOT misbehave if she/he holds respect for the other person/teacher. It is up to the person/teacher to gain the child's respect. Appreciation is the greatest respect maker known to man. If a teacher spends more time appreciating and encouraging a child's effort for what he/she has achieved and does not knock or criticise his/her work, a classroom would take on a different, more positive dynamic atmosphere.
If the teacher had the respect of the pupils, there wouldn't be any misbehaviour in the classroom. The other pupils would jump to the teachers' defence and squash it before it had time to ignite.
FACT 5: A teacher's job is to teach. It is not to be a classroom police officer or to correct the misbehaviour the child learned at home or elsewhere. A good teacher warrants the assistance and support of the child's family and community at large.
A good teacher should not feel alone in the classroom.
It all comes down to attitude. If a teacher holds a good attitude towards his/her pupils, the respect will be mutual. You do not make friends and gain their respect by beating them with sticks or abusing them in other ways.
The worst aspect of corporal punishment is the fact that a human being who may not be in total control of his/her faculties on that particular day having had no/little sleep the night before, an argument with his/her wife/husband or simply feeling under the weather administers it. So, what should have warranted a minor rap becomes transformed into a thorough trashing that could break the child's bones or cause irreparable damage to body and mind.
To avoid even the possibility of this catastrophe happening, every day has to be a No Corporal Punishment Day.
Sir Frank Peters is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, an award-winning writer, royal goodwill ambassador, humanitarian, and a human rights activist. [email protected]
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