Decolonizing Discipline: The Normalization of Violence Against Children, Church Parties to the Settlement Agreement, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 6

Abstract

Corporal punishment is a unique, but common, form of violence against children in Canada because along with being legally protected, it is also often socially normalized. Faith leaders have played an important role in this process by, over centuries, animating interpretations of sacred texts that are rooted in colonial patterns of power and control. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 6 urges the Repeal of Section 43 of Canada’s Criminal Code. One contributing factor to blocking progress on this Call to Action is the amplification of colonial Christian interpretations of sacred texts that normalize violence against children and that are rooted in colonial-shaped ideas about gender roles and power. Repeal of Section 43 is a substantive piece of a clear decolonizing strategy. It concretely addresses violence towards children and reshapes society in the best interests of all children.