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.
(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)
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
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 Cambodia involved 504 children (250 boys, 254 girls) from urban, rural and remote areas, and 275 adults (122 men, 153 women). Methods used included research diaries, body maps, attitude survey, and discussions. Physical punishments mentioned by children in Cambodia included being hit with a variety of implements, including a stick, cane, electric cable, belt, whip, chain; the use of sharp implements (knife) and sharp-edged domestic items (brooms, shoes), kicking, punching, pinching, pulling, and twisting joints. Of those children who mentioned body parts where they were hit, 39.8% reported being hit on the head and neck, 82.2% on the limbs, 80.7% on the back, 33.1% buttocks, 2.3% chest and 3.3% stomach. Over 80% of children reported being punished in the home. Nearly all adults (96%) attested that they felt unhappy after they had been punished as children. When asked what they did in response to punishment, most said that they stood still and endured it (61% boys, 76% girls); 1.8% of boys and no girls said they “fight back”; some escape the punishment (27% boys, 23% girls); some beg not to be punished (16% boys, 4% girls).
(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)
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 Chile, “moderate physical punishment” was reported as follows: spanked buttocks with hand 51%, shook child 39%, twisted ear 27%, pulled hair 24%, hit with object on buttocks 18%, slapped face or head 13%, hit with knuckles 12%, pinched child 3%.
(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)
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 Hong Kong involved 72 children (36 boys, 36 girls) from urban areas and 51 adults. Methods used included research diaries, drawings, body maps, attitude survey, and discussions. Physical punishments mentioned by children in Hong Kong included hitting. Of those who were hit, 86.7% were hit with an implement (57.8% with sticks etc, 28.9% with a whip, lash or belt). Of those children who mentioned body parts where they were hit, 13% reported being hit on the face, 45% on the limbs, 27% on the back, and 1% on the genitalia. In terms of the settings in which children experienced punishment, the research found that in the home 71% of children experienced physical punishment and 29% emotional punishment, while in school 54% experienced physical punishment and 46% emotional. All respondents agreed with the statement “After I punish a child I feel unhappy”.
(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)
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
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 Indonesia involved 813 children from urban, rural and remote areas, and 16 adults. Methods used included research diaries, drawings, body maps, attitude survey, and discussions. Physical punishments mentioned by children in Indonesia included being hit with implements, kicking, slapping, ear twisting, hair pulling, pinching, and throwing objects. Of those who were hit, 32.4% were hit with an implement, 23.6% slapped with the hand, 23.6% punched with the fist, and 20.4% kicked. Of those children who mentioned body parts where they were hit, 73% reported being hit on the head and neck, 75% on the limbs, 10% on the back, 15% on the chest and 15% on the stomach.
(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)
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 2nd 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.
(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)
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 bei