Back then, it was a norm
A teacher could beat up a child and everyone would be fine with it
Sadly, the situation hasn’t changed much today
We still come across cases in which teachers beat students under the guise of ‘disciplining’ them and many parents still side with this form of punishment
But this is not the worst thing that can happen to a child
The worst is when even parents end up slapping, punching, beating or spanking their children
We have had many discussions focusing on the various forms of corporal punishment exercised in schools, but have never thought of what the child goes through at home with their parents
We have never spoken about the lines that have to be drawn there first
And that is exactly why Adrian Peterson, an NFL player for the Vikings, has been indicted for beating his four-year-old son
Peterson is a renowned American footballer who was charged with child abuse for hitting his son
In his defence, he stated that he was only trying to discipline his son “the (same) way I was disciplined as a child”
And that right there is the main reason why universally parents still resort to physically hitting their children to make them more obedient
The vicious cycle continues, where parents resort to physical abuse because they themselves were subjected to it when they were young
I come across many parents who believe that spanking their child is still the best way to make them understand and, to be honest, I am flabbergasted by their responses
These are educated, well-established, middle-class parents, just so you know, and their sense of parenthood is truly astounding
They don’t understand that when you hit a child you give them the idea that their body is no longer their own
That an outside entity can harm them and make them feel pain, and that’s alright
Often, many children who fall prey to sexual abuse do not speak up about it because of this very reason
They have been conditioned to believe that an adult can treat them however way he or she pleases, and there is nothing that the child can do to stop it
In a way, parents who hit their children are worse than those individuals who sexually molest them
Why? Because when a child is molested by a stranger, the kid has an unconscious idea that they will be protected by their parents if they go and tell them
But what happens when the child is physically abused by his or her parents themselves? To whom should they go to find protection then? The Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill 2013 was a major step in Pakistan towards curbing the practice of beating up children at school
But what about when they get a beating at home? Why is there no law protecting the child from an abusive parent(s)? There is no definitive statistic for the amount of children beaten at homes because rarely does any household think of it as wrong to hit a child
I remember a parent once asked me, “Do I not have even this much of a right over my child to hit him if he is doing something wrong?” The answer is a clear and resounding no
No
No
No
Those parents who take up the excuse of ‘disciplining’ their children should know that hitting a child is never productive – researches have proved that
In fact, other, non-violent alternatives, like grounding the child or making him or her think about what they have done are much more effective techniques
Corporal punishment is not unique to Pakistan
In India, in February 2013, an 11-year-old boy was tortured with hot iron and was locked away at a madrassa for more than a week
Similarly, another seven-year-old Indian girl was hospitalised after her teacher beat her up for not reading loud enough
According to a report, in Nepal, 14% students drop-out of school because of the way teachers would thrash them
In Bangladesh, public schools and madrassas are notorious for chaining students and beating them for the slightest of issues
In Sri Lanka, in 2012, a number of students were admitted to Marawila and Bandarawela hospitals after receiving severe beatings from their teachers
This issue is present throughout the region
And why is it so? Because subcontinent’s society imposes the idea that a student is supposed to respect his or her teachers, and they do this by the use of fear
A teacher believes that a student will respect them only if the student is afraid of the teacher
And the same is relevant for parents
But this is not how it works
And this is something that should not, in anyway, be deemed appropriate
Peterson, being an NFL player, couldn’t wriggle his way out of this case of allegedly abusing his own son
This should be a clear message to all that no matter what you think, the civilised world will not tolerate a child getting hurt – even if the attacker is his or her own parent or teacher
| Date: | 02-Nov-2014 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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