Is it right to discipline kids with spanking and other forms of corporal punishment?
Opinions vary greatly from country to country and the subject is often a source of great debate.
There are many countries that legally ban and condemn the practice of corporal punishment for children such as Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Iceland, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.
In East Asia, specifically in China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, it is legal to punish one's own child using physical means. However, even China and Taiwan have made corporal punishment against children illegal in the school system, although mild chastisement, pinching, shaking of the arm or shoulder, slapping to the back of the head and even more serious punishments are still known to be practiced in some places. In some instance, the public outcry has been so strong that is has led to the ouster of teaching staff.
In many Asian countries, people have traditionally believed that a fair amount of punishment for their kids is not only acceptable, but appropriate and necessary. Their cultures and societies tend to tolerate the practice.
In the United States and in many other places around the world, opinions vary greatly. In the USA, spanking children is legal and even allowed explicitly in the laws of some states, both as practiced at home or in school.
In 2004, the USA declined to participate in signing the United Nations's policy paper on "Rights of the Child" because it issue sanctions on parental discipline. US representatives cited their tradition of parental authority and their high regard for privacy in family decision-making as key factors that had to be considered.
In general, most countries have banned corporal punishment in schools as early as 1783 in the case of Poland. About half of the schools in the United States still allow corporal punishment in schools while others strongly discourage the practice.
A common argument used to support corporal punishment is that it is more effective and less cruel than incarceration. In other words, it is a far more desirable alternative than imprisonment. Others even argue that in minor cases such as graffiti, corporal punishment may be a more effective course of action that issuing fines.
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Family, kids And Teens, and Society |
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