Over a billion children worldwide face physical punishment each year. This isn’t just a grim statistic; it’s a silent crisis affecting countless young lives. The World Health Organization, or WHO, sheds light on this hidden issue, showing how these actions cause lasting harm. It’s a problem that touches families and schools, leaving deep scars that can follow children into adulthood.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which watches over the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has a clear idea of what corporal punishment means. It’s when someone uses physical force to cause any amount of pain or discomfort, no matter how small. This includes hitting children with hands or objects like belts, shoes, or sticks. It also covers other types of attacks such as kicking, shaking, pinching, or biting.
Punishments Go Beyond Just Hitting
The definition also includes forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions. It covers harm like burns or making them swallow bad substances. But punishment isn’t just about physical pain. The Committee believes other forms of non-physical punishment can be cruel and degrading too. These methods are also not allowed under the Convention. Often, these non-physical abuses happen alongside physical violence, but they can also occur by themselves.
These harmful actions include punishments that make a child feel ashamed, worthless, or silly. They might involve threats or frightening a child. Sometimes, children are made fun of or blamed for things unfairly. Basically, the UN’s view goes much further than just physical attacks. The Committee condemns any punishment that uses force to cause pain. It also condemns any actions that humiliate, threaten, or put a child down.
The Rule is Clear: Any Punishment, Physical or Emotional, is Wrong
A report from the WHO says that about 1.2 billion children and teenagers, aged 0 to 18, suffer physical punishment at home every year. The WHO points out that this practice greatly harms a child’s health and growth. In some cases, these effects last well into adulthood. How often this happens really changes from one country to another.
For example, in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, only about 30% and 32% of children aged 2 to 14 were physically punished in the last month, according to their parents. But in Togo, Sierra Leone, and Serbia, these numbers are much higher. They reach 77%, 64%, and 63% respectively. These high numbers can make abuse seem normal. The WHO urges everyone to stop this practice and commit to helping children fully grow in their homes and schools.
In schools in Africa and Central America, physical violence affects 70% of students. This is a big difference compared to the 25% seen in the Western Pacific region. Also, a look at information from 58 countries shows something troubling. Seventeen percent of children who faced physical punishment last month were hit in the worst ways. This means hard blows or hits to sensitive areas like the head or face.
Children Who Suffer Physical Punishment are 24% Less Likely to Develop Normally
Some things make it more likely for a child to be physically punished. For example, children whose parents also experienced this kind of violence when they were young are at higher risk. Children with disabilities also face a greater risk. Similarly, children whose parents have mental health problems, like depression or drug addiction, are more easily hurt.
Social issues also play a part. Things like poverty, racism, and unfair treatment raise the chance of physical violence. Physical punishment seriously hurts how children grow. It changes their brains and boosts stress hormones. This then increases their risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety. These issues can stick around into adulthood. They can even lead to drug abuse and suicide.
Laws that ban corporal punishment have helped a lot in some countries to reduce it. But in other places, the problem stays the same or even gets worse. This shows that just having laws isn’t enough. For these laws to truly work, other actions are needed. These actions must deal with the reasons why child violence happens. They need to help at an individual level, within families, in communities, and across society.