Hitting children is never okay!

Madam,

8nless you are defending yourself or someone else, hitting a stranger is assault, and assault is illegal. 7here is no Tuestion about it, and there are very good reasons why that is so. People have the right to be treated with respect. +itting someone not only causes physical pain, it is also degrading. 7hat’s also why only a few countries still use the infliction of physical pain as punishment.

When reading news articles about countries caning people for vandalism or stealing, most of us react with indignation ³+ow barbaric and backward ´ We are sick and tired of violence. +umanity has seen too much of it, and hardly ever has it done any good. 9iolence should be the last resort, only to be used when absolutely necessary.

ATTITUDE

Curiously, there’s a group of people with regard to whom this peaceful attitude is widely suspended. Children worldwide get µspanked’, µsmacked’ and µwhipped’ by parents and teachers who face little opposition due to the pervasive social acceptance of the practice. Globally, around a billion children between the ages of two and 1 are subMected to physical punishment by their caregivers on a

regular basis, which makes physical punishment the most common form of violence against children.

Isn’t it hypocritical to condemn an adult for hitting another adult, and governments for inflicting pain on criminals as punishment, yet condone the µspanking’, µsmacking’ and µwhipping’ of children at home and in school" 7hose words are euphemisms, of course. 6panking is hitting, and children are people so to spank a child is to hit a person.

If we think that it should be illegal to hit even those adults who have committed crimes, why do so many people deem it okay to use physical violence against children" %eing the most powerless members of society, don’t children deserve more protection

than adults, rather than less"

Physical punishment of children comes in many forms.

7here are the most egregious cases, such as the drunk father beating his child over persistent crying, where the child is Must a toddler and too young to even understand. %ut there are also cases in which parents or teachers hit children with the best intentions. Whenever the topic comes up, someone inevitably will bring up a familiar argument ³I used to get my ass whipped growing up and I turned out Must fine ´ It is true, not all children who experience physical punishment will grow up to be damaged adults. 7hat doesn’t make it a good argument though.

Rainer Ebert