There are better ways to discipline children
Tuesday May 04 2021
For about a year, children were away from school because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some parents became so apprehensive and couldn’t wait for them to return to school. Whether at home or at school, one thing is always certain, discipline.
Many of us grew up in an era where spanking was the dominant method for discipling children. It seems that Africans are infamous for beating their children to straighten them out. Grandmother pulls the ears, Mom employs the palm, Dad uses kiboko and mwalimu combines all the above and others like a ruler, textbook, crushing head on the desk, etc.
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF, 89 percent of children (1-14 years) in Bangladesh experienced violent discipline in the month before the survey was conducted. The survey also reported that 35 percent of caregivers believe that a child needs to be physically punished. There is a circular (2011) by the Ministry of Education banning corporal punishment in educational settings in Bangladesh. However, children continue to be beaten and humiliated by teachers. In addition, children are subjected to corporal punishment in homes, institutions, workplaces etc.
Corporal punishment includes any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, as well as non-physical forms of punishment that are cruel and degrading.