Guinea-Bissau: Analysis on Corporal Punishment of Children

2012

The Ethiopian Journal of Education, 2018

Cognizant of the negative after-effects of corporal punishment (CP) in children, there have been focused global initiatives to do away with CP from schools. However, CP is rampantly used as a disciplinary procedure in schools across the globe. This study was conducted to obtain descriptive information regarding CP in the first cycle primary schools of the Central Zone of Tigray Region in Ethiopia and also to examine the teacher variables associated with the use of CP. Data were collected through an individually administered instrument pack with three sections including a CP scale from a sample of 199 first cycle government primary school teachers of the same Region, drawn using multi-stage cluster sampling procedure. Results indicated that the great majority of teachers were using a wide range of CP methods to manage various problems related to behaviours of students. The majority of teachers, though using CP, they did not endorse its use in schools. Teacher variables, such as their...

2015

Using a comparative perspective, this paper explores two approaches to child - adult relationships and the practice of corporal punishment: a human rights perspective and a traditional perspective reflected in U.S. law. Source material for our analysis draws on statutes, court decisions, and human rights conventions relating to the status of children and corporal punishment. Legislation and case law reflecting each perspective are presented and analyzed. Discussions of the nature of and reasons for differences include: the absence of human rights principles as a touchstone for U.S. law, the avoidance of linking corporal punishment and violence in the law, and the persistence of a colonial model of child - adult relationships structured around adult dominance and control of children. In contrast, a human rights model has at its core the human dignity of the child. This approach extends human rights to children and discourages corporal punishment and oppressive relationship between adults and children. Finally, this paper discusses the value of bringing a human rights approach to our understanding of child -adult relationships and the use of corporal punishment against children.

International Journal of Pediatrics, 2010

Background. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a global perspective on corporal punishment by examining differences between mothers' and fathers' use of corporal punishment with daughters and sons in nine countries. Methods. Interviews were conducted with 1398 mothers, 1146 fathers, and 1417 children (age range = 7 to 10 years) in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Results. Across the entire sample, 54% of girls and 58% of boys had experienced mild corporal punishment, and 13% of girls and 14% of boys had experienced severe corporal punishment by their parents or someone in their household in the last month. Seventeen percent of parents believed that the use of corporal punishment was necessary to rear the target child. Overall, boys were more frequently punished corporally than were girls, and mothers used corporal punishment more frequently than did fathers. There were significant differences across countries, with reports of corporal punishment use lowest in Sweden and highest in Kenya. Conclusion. This work establishes that the use of corporal punishment is widespread, and efforts to prevent corporal punishment from escalating into physical abuse should be commensurately widespread.

Finding solutions to the challenges with the use of alternative strategies to corporal punishment to ensure a long-lasting discipline in schools is a concern of educational stakeholders. This study employed a qualitative research approach, involving interviews with 15 basic school teachers and focus group discussions with 15 basic school headteachers in the Mampong Municipality of Ghana, to explore their perspectives on addressing challenges associated with using alternative strategies to corporal punishment. The phenomenological research design was used to ascertain the lived experiences of the participants on the phenomenon under study. Seven action-oriented activities on the part of stakeholders were drawn from the thematic analysis of the data, as ways of addressing the challenges with the use of alternative strategies to corporal punishment. It was recommended among others that, for a successful use of the alternative strategies, education of stakeholders and stakeholder collaboration on the use of the strategies are necessary.

MOJ Clinical & Medical Case Reports, 2016

International Review of Education, 2010

The purpose of this survey was to acquire descriptive information regarding corporal punishment in Tanzania’s O-level secondary schools. 448 individuals participated in the study: 254 teachers and 194 students, all from government or private secondary schools in the Iringa Region of Tanzania. In addition, 14 students and 14 teachers were interviewed. It was found that corporal punishment was the most common form of punishment in secondary schools. The majority of teachers supported its continued use, but believed in moderation. The majority of students and teachers were unaware of national laws to restrict corporal punishment. There was agreement between students and teachers that corporal punishment was used for major and minor student offences such as misbehaviour and tardiness. Students reported disliking the practice and believed it was ineffective and resulted in emotional, as well as physical, distress. Le châtiment corporel dans les collèges de Tanzanie – Cette enquête avait pour but d’obtenir une information descriptive sur le châtiment corporel infligé dans les classes secondaires du niveau du brevet en Tanzanie. L’étude a impliqué 448 personnes : 254 professeurs et 194 élèves d’écoles secondaires publiques et privées situées dans la région d’Iringa en Tanzanie. En outre, des interviews ont été menées avec 14 enseignants et 24 élèves. Nous avons constaté que le châtiment corporel constitue la forme la plus courante de punition dans les collèges. La majorité des enseignants approuvent d’y recourir régulièrement mais préconisent la modération. La plupart des professeurs et des élèves ne connaissent pas les lois nationales qui limitent le châtiment corporel. Les deux groupes s’accordent sur le fait que le châtiment corporel est infligé lors d’infractions majeures mais aussi mineures de la part des élèves, telles que mauvaise conduite ou manque de ponctualité. Les élèves déclarent désapprouver cette pratique et la jugent inefficace et source de souffrances émotionnelles aussi bien que physiques. Körperstrafen an Tansanias Schulen – Mit dieser Erhebung sollten deskriptive Informationen über Körperstrafen an Tansanias Schulen der Sekundarstufe 1 gesammelt werden. An der Studie nahmen 448 Personen teil: 254 Lehrkräfte und 194 Schülerinnen und Schüler, alle aus öffentlichen oder privaten Sekundarschulen der Region Iringa in Tansania. Zusätzlich wurden Interviews mit 14 Schülerinnen und Schülern und 14 Lehrkräften geführt. Es stellte sich heraus, dass Körperstrafen die häufigste Art der Strafe in Sekundarschulen sind. Die meisten Lehrkräfte waren dafür, sie beizubehalten, allerdings in Maßen. Der Mehrheit der Schülerinnen und Schüler und der Lehrkräfte war nicht bekannt, dass Körperstrafen durch staatliche Gesetze eingeschränkt werden. Lernende und Lehrende sagten übereinstimmend, dass mehr oder minder schwere Vergehen von Schülerinnen und Schülern, wie zum Beispiel schlechtes Benehmen und Zuspätkommen, mit Körperstrafen geahndet werden. Manche Schülerinnen und Schüler sagten, dass sie diese Praxis ablehnen, dass sie sie für unwirksam halten und glauben, dass sie emotionales Leid und körperliche Leiden zur Folge hat. Castigos corporales en escuelas de Tanzania – Esta encuesta se realizó con el objetivo de adquirir información descriptiva sobre el castigo corporal en las escuelas secundarias de O-level (ciclo básico) en Tanzania. De este estudio participaron 448 personas: 254 docentes y 194 estudiantes, todos de escuelas secundarias privadas o públicas de la región de Iringa, Tanzania. Además, se entrevistaron 14 estudiantes y 14 docentes. Se comprobó que el castigo corporal era la forma de castigo más común en las escuelas secundarias. La mayoría de los docentes se manifestó a favor de que se siguiera aplicando, si bien confiaban en la moderación. La mayoría de los estudiantes y docentes desconocían leyes nacionales que restringen el castigo corporal. Tanto los estudiantes como los docentes coincidieron en que el castigo corporal se aplicaba ante transgresiones estudiantiles de mayor o menor importancia, tales como mala conducta e impuntualidad. Los estudiantes informaron su desagrado frente a esta práctica y sostenían que era ineficaz y causaba malestar, tanto físico como emocional.

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 2018

Children in Ethiopia are legally protected against all forms of cruel and inhuman treatment including corporal punishment (CP) at school as well as other childcare institutions. They, indeed, enjoy a constitutional right in this regard. However, in reality, they are indiscriminately subjected to CP in schools. Their experience with CP in schools through their own voice is hardly heard. Aiming to obtain descriptive information concerning the nature and consequences of CP from students, this study was conducted in the second cycle elementary schools of the Central Zone of Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Further, this study also assessed students' attitude towards CP and its association with some of their demographics. A group administered instrument pack with three sections was used to collect data from 670 students drawn using multistage cluster sampling procedure. The results indicated that a quarter of students are subjected to CP. More male students are punished with CP than female students. A wide range of students' behaviours attract CP. For the majority, CP did not lead to any psychological aftereffects. However, significant portions of students experienced various psychological effects of which some are of serious nature. CP resulted in different physical effects too. The attitude of students towards CP is predominantly negative. While student demographics such as grade level, fathers' education, mothers' education and their status of being corporally punished influence their attitude, gender does not influence it. Implications for further research, teacher training and reforms in policy implementation are explored.

2020

Right from the start in this single-subject dossier dedicated to the issue of corporal punishment, we claim a more “activist” approach, if we may say so, of this study. It is certainly not anything new, but it is worth explaining this approach to the research that characterises, in a particular and in-depth way, pedagogical studies that are often intertwined with ethical questions and have become involved with critical social issues and the educational needs expressed by individuals and communities. Pure research, intellectual commitment on a more theoretical (and historical) level, even in the distant past, has frequently gone hand in hand with the desire to improve the conditions of education and make a contribution to change. Let’s think, for example, of the «pedagogy of the oppressed» of Paulo Freire ([1974], 2002; [1968], 2018, passim), of the critical pedagogy of Henry Giroux (2011), of the intellectual struggle against the «black pedagogy» of Katharina Rutschky and Alice Mill...

2015

is an independent, non-profit research institution and a major international centre in policy-oriented and applied development research. Focus is on development and human rights issues and on international conditions that affect such issues. The geographical focus is Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Central Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. CMI combines applied and theoretical research. CMI research intends to assist policy formulation, improve the basis for decision-making and promote public debate on international development issues.

2015

This is part of a broad study that sought to find out views of parents in Zimbabwe on the use of corporal punishment in schools. This paper looks at feelings of parents on the policy that bars the use of corporal punishment in schools. The study used case study as a research design. The study used questionnaires in the collection of data. The research participants consisted of two hundred and fifty parents who were randomly selected when they were attending a consultation days at selected schools in Goromonzi District, Zimbabwe. The study found out that teachers were still using corporal punishment in classes as way of enforcing discipline and making sure pupils abide by accepted behaviour. The teachers had ignored the government directive that reserved the use of corporal punishment to the school head or any other teacher delegated by the head. The research also found out that the parents thought corporal punishment was an effective way of disciplining children in schools but neede...

Child Abuse Review, 2017

Child discipline is a vital part of child rearing in all cultures. The need for child discipline is generally recognised, but considerable debate exists regarding the best methods. Corporal punishment (CP) is a dominant practice in Caribbean cultures. This qualitative study investigated community perceptions of the function, legality and boundaries of CP in child-rearing practices in Suriname, in which CP is defined as hitting a child on their buttocks or extremities using an open hand. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted with adolescent and adult community members from Creole and Maroon backgrounds, as well as with professionals working with children. ATLAS.ti version 7, a qualitative data package, was used to conduct the analyses. This study showed how violent forms of disciplining children are widely accepted and practiced in Suriname. CP is considered a necessary and respected form of disciplining children, particularly by parents. Participants know about the existence of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that has been ratified in Suriname, but there is a lack of knowledge about its content. Developing appropriate policy responses to violence towards children requires understanding of the perception and use of CP. Such knowledge is needed to tackle the invisibility and social acceptance of violence in child discipline.

2019

The main purpose of this study was to assess parental usage of and attitude towards corporal punishment. To achieve this purpose, the study utilized a cross-sectional survey design. Using a self-administered questionnaire, quantitative data were gathered from 544 (287M, 257F) participants who were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Frequencies, chi-square, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, logistic regression, and multiple regressions were used to analyze and make meaning of the data. The result indicated that corporal punishment is highly prevalent and frequent in the current sample. The majority of parents (80%) reported they used corporal punishment on their children within the past 12 months, and most of them used it frequently. The responses given to each statement of the attitude scale indicated that the majority of the participants of the study have favourable attitude towards the use of corporal punishment. The most common types of punishment used by parents were found to be knocking on the head (90%), pinching between the thighs (89%), slapping on the face with an open hand (87), beating the arm, buttock, or leg with an open hand (81%), and beating with an object (80%). With respect to type of child misbhaviours, a large number of parents reported that they always used corporal punishment on their children for engaging in behaviours such as disobedience, lying, stealing, playing with dangerous objects, and quarrelling with siblings or other children. The study used an ecological approach to examine how multiple factors are related to parental use of and attitude toward corporal punishment. Accordingly, the result indicated that boys and younger children experience more frequent corporal punishment. Likewise, corporal punishment was found to be more prevalent and frequent among parents who were female in sex, younger in age, lower in education level, and those who had larger number of children. It was also indicated that rural residents than urban residents more frequently used vii corporal punishment. With regard to attitude towards corporal punishment, the study revealed that parents more likely to have positive attitude were female in sex, lower in education level, residents of rural area, and those who had larger number of children. Education level, number of children, place of residence, and gender, were found to be the variables that significantly predicted attitude towards corporal punishment and accounted for about 37% of the variation in attitude. The study also showed that the majority of participants are against the legal banning of either all or sever types of corporal punishment. Theoretically, the study findings provide evidence that the risk factors for the use of and attitude towards corporal punishment can be multi-level.

Gives an alternative to corporal punishment to maintain discipline in schools in Zambia. Positive discipline is proposed to be the best way to go in school discipline. Schools should have school codes of conduct to achieve this.