Date: January 2005

Canadian organizations combine to condemn corporal punishment and seek law reform and public education to eliminate it

A Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth has been developed by a national coalition of organizations in Canada, facilitated by the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. (For full text and list of supporting organizations, go to www.cheo.on.ca/english/1120.html)

Based on an extensive review of research, the Joint Statement provides an overview of the developmental outcomes associated with the use of corporal punishment: "The evidence is clear and compelling - physical punishment of children and youth plays no useful role in their upbringing and poses only risks to their development. The conclusion is equally compelling - parents should be strongly encouraged to develop alternative and positive approaches to discipline".

The Executive Summary notes as key findings: "The research evidence now available permits us to move beyond the debate about whether physical punishment is harmful to children and youth or is even effective as discipline.

• There is no clear evidence of any benefit from the use of physical punishment on children.
• There is strong evidence that physical punishment places children at risk for physical injury, poorer mental health, impaired relationships with parents, weaker internalization of moral values, antisocial behaviour, poorer adult adjustment and tolerance of violence in adulthood.
• Few parents believe that physical punishment is effective, most believe it is unnecessary and harmful, and a majority think the most common outcome is parental guilt or regret.
• Parents are more likely to use physical punishment if they approve of it, experienced it themselves as children, feel anger in response to their children's behaviour, are subject to depression, or are burdened by particular forms of stress."

The recommendations for action in Canada include:

• delivery of public awareness messages to inform all Canadians that physical punishment is harmful to children's development and is ineffective as discipline;
• development of universal parenting education; and
• provision of the same protection of children from physical assault as is given to Canadian adults and to children in a growing number of countries.

The Canadian Criminal Code (section 43) allows parents, teachers and some other carers to use reasonable force to "correct" children. A judgment of the Canadian Supreme Court (January 30 2004) strictly limited the legality of corporal punishment. But the majority judgment rejected an application by the Canadian Foundation for Youth, Children and the Law that section 43 should be struck down as unconstitutional. See www.lexum.umontreal.ca/csc-scc/en/pub/2004/vol1/html/2004scr1_0076.html

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