Corporal Punishment: Main Concepts and Structure of Problem Analysis

Currently, to alleviate the negative consequences that arise from corporal punishment, some countries have implemented certain laws to ban the act of corporal punishment. For example, on 27 June 2019, Kosovo has passed a bill with article 24 of the law being implemented on child protection. Article 24 of this law states that any measures of discipline, which include any mental or physical form of violence that will shame or lower the dignity of children, is strictly prohibited. Similarly, in Japan, the authority has also implemented a law which states that foster parents, as well as welfare workers, are to be banned from using physical punishment as a method of disciplin. 

Although the laws do aim to serve its purpose, there have been objections raised regarding the effectiveness of these laws. Some objections raised were that the law did not indicate the types of disciplinary actions which are considered as physical punishment, and also contradicts the civil law which states that adults with parental authority are given the right to carry out disciplinary measures. As such, this reflects the government’s incapability to propose a law that can solve the issue of corporal punishment effectively.

The following are some possible suggestions that could be implemented to better effectively stop the act of corporal punishment and therefore, to reduce the negative externalizing behaviors resulted from corporal punishment. Firstly, on the societal level, campaigns to raise awareness and educate the public would serve as a better means of advocating a stop to corporal punishment. Campaigns could be held to spread key messages of the negative consequences of corporal punishment, which might serve as an enlightenment to the public. 

These campaigns could be held at public spaces like shopping malls so that the message is likely to be further widespread in comparison to laws that would only be made known when one defies the law. Secondly, parenting programs could be conducted for adults to possibly enlighten them on alternative non-violent means of disciplining children. On the governmental level, officials under family development-related ministries may opt to visit these abusive parents and provide counselling services, which might aid the officials in better understanding abusive parents’ concerns, and reduce their tendency of using physical discipline. 

By taking these possible actions, a wider community would be better alerted on the negative consequences of corporal punishment and may therefore, spread the message to reduce the rampant act of corporal punishment. This essay has described how corporal punishment could lead to negative externalizing behaviors in children. Even though laws have been implemented to ban corporal punishment, the effectiveness of these laws is limited. As such, more could be done, for instance, campaigns, that would aim to further raise public awareness on the detrimental effects of corporal punishment. Therefore, a combination of societal and governmental solutions may bring about the best outcome in reducing the act of corporal punishment on children.