Throughout my childhood and well into my teenage years, I was a frequent victim of the horrors of corporal punishment. To educators and caretakers, I was known as a “difficult” child who needed the kind care of whips, canes and cords to set me on the straight and narrow path. Suffice it to say, I never did end up taking that path.
Frequently present in the disciplinary beatings I received, were the well-worn excuse that they were in fact doing this for my own good. To them, physical punishment meant a demonstration of love and concern for my wellbeing and that of my future. Yes, physical violence has been wearing the insidious mask of corporal punishment for a while now. While this mask has frequently been removed to reveal its true dangerous nature, corporal punishment still remains a handy tool in many adults handbook for discipline.
I would constantly hear from those tasked to educate and care for me, that there was no real harm in licks. While one might be temporarily hurt, that would pass and the person would grow up into a well-adjusted and good member of society. I must say that these beliefs were inaccurate and many others and I did not “turn out fine” as many proponents of corporal punishment would have us believe. Many of us now sport intense emotional and physical scars that have negatively impacted our mental health and relationships with others.
While it is entirely possible that some victims of corporal punishment did in actuality turn out fine, this is not the case for the majority of scarred children who now replicate patterns of abuse in their adult lives. It is a curious thing to see people rail against the ill effects of gender-based violence in our homes, places of work and worship while in the same breath, encourage the abuse of children. GBV does not occur within a vacuum. Adults do not miraculously turn into violent persons who are unable to communicate effectively. They are exposed to and taught these behaviours during childhood and will continue the cycle of violence unless they learn or are taught better.
Children who are abused in the name of corporal punishment are at higher risk for the development of mental health issues and increased aggression. Over 50 years of scientific research has proven ad nauseam that corporal punishment negatively impacts children and can often be counterproductive to the discipline one hopes to instill. Children don’t necessarily stop their bad behaviour – they just adjust or hide it so as to not be on the receiving end of violence. Many consciously make the decision to commit their bad acts even if they know they will be caught because licks do in fact bun an cool.
There is the frequent argument that corporal punishment is a necessity in curbing the increased deviancy in schools that sees school bullying, GBV and attacks against teachers. It is said that it is the push towards curbing of corporal punishment that is responsible for these behaviours. Where is the evidence to support this contrived belief?
The increased violence we are witnessing in our schools is not caused by a lack of or too little punishment. That is in fact a well-worn myth as corporal punishment is still widely practiced across Guyana in both public and private schools. It is our societal ills creeping into the school system. Let’s be honest, many of us have not been setting a very good example for children when it comes to dealing with their anger and working to settle issues amicably.
Children who are exposed to violence within their homes, communities and social spaces will of course replicate it in some way or the other. The answer however, is not to double down on physical punishment and beating the bad out of children. All this does is reinforce the belief that those who have power, weapons and authority are allowed to inflict violence upon those who do not.
Many argue against the banning of corporal punishment. Those working towards the safety of children in their home and learning environments are often seen as following western countries and aiming to adopt their ways of discipline. This argument always tickles me as it shows just how effective our colonial miseducation was. The history and adoption of corporal punishment in former colonies such as Guyana is intrinsically tied with western colonial culture, inclusive of religions, such as Christianity.
Violence aimed at racial control saw the enslaved and the indentured adopting the childrearing and punishment styles of those in power. Our fore parents began to see violence as being necessary to not only control their children, but also to keep them out of harm’s way of a system that was unkind to children of minorities. The stakes were higher for black/brown children and the instilled belief was that they needed to be raised tougher to prepare them for the world. This is a large part as to why many do not view corporal punishment as being necessarily negative, but rather a feature of quality parenting and encouraging responsible behaviour aimed at safety.
While we can continue the handwringing of violence in schools without assessing our role in it, I must say that corporal punishment is not a debatable topic. There are those who are on the side of fact and those who are on the side of wrong beliefs that are harmful for children and their development. There is an overabundance of studies, research and evidence that clearly illustrates the ineffectiveness of corporal punishment and the inherent dangers involved with it. Not because one finds a fact inconvenient to one’s beliefs makes it any less of a fact. Those who aim for the best for the nation’s children should recognize that corporal punishment is the root cause of domestic abuse and other deviant acts.
