violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

3shoe, wooden spoon, etc. But it can also involve,for example, kicking, shaking or throwingchildren, scratching, pinching, biting, pullinghair or boxing ears, forcing children to stay inuncomfortable positions, burning, scalding orforced ingestion (for example, washing children’smouths out with soap or forcing themto swallow hot spices). The Committee comments:“In the view of the Committee, corporalpunishment is invariably degrading. Inaddition, there are other non-physical forms ofpunishment which are also cruel and degradingand thus incompatible with the CRC. Theseinclude, for example, punishment which belittles,humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens,scares or ridicules the child.” 35There are considerable variations in popularviews about the use and effectiveness ofcorporal punishment, according to availablestudies. While a Canadian study found that59% of people believed that spanking is harmfuland 86% that it is ineffective, 36 researchin the USA found that 84% agreed “that itis sometimes necessary to discipline a childwith a good hard spanking.” 37,38 A study in theRepublic of Korea found that 90% of parentsthought corporal punishment ‘necessary’. 39 Ina report from Yemen, almost 90% of childrensaid that physical and humiliating punishmentis the main method of discipline in the family,with the most common form being beating. 40What children think about corporal punishmentThe Save the Children Alliance conducted research on physical and humiliating punishmentwith children around the world as a special contribution to the Study. Theresulting report found that overwhelmingly, the children disagreed with the idea thatsuch punishment accomplished anything positive. The report suggested that whilechildren may comply with adults’ wishes immediately after being hit, “young childrenfrequently do not remember why they are hit, and children will only refrain from themisbehaviour if they face an imminent threat of being hit. This sort of punishmentfrightens children into certain behaviours: it does not help children to want to behave,or teach them self-discipline or promote any alternative.” 41 In a survey undertaken byUNICEF in Europe and Central Asia, over 75% of children said that ‘hitting’ was‘never’ a good solution to problems at home. 42 In Regional Consultations for the Study,children repeatedly called for other methods of discipline, including being offered aproper explanation of what they had done wrong. They underlined how hurtful it wasto be hit and humiliated by those who professed to love and care for them.53Violence against children in the home and family