Corporal Punishment Research Articles

‘To knock the cudgel out of the enforcer’s hand’: the Serbian Parliament on the abolishment of corporal punishment

ABSTRACT In 1873, the Serbian government proposed to abolish corporal punishment from the Criminal Code. (Since 1860, it existed in the form of beating of up to 50 strikes.) While the parliamentary committee supported this amendment, listing five arguments in favour of the abolishment, the opinions in the plenum were divided. Some MPs supported it, seeing corporal punishment as anachronistic, or underlining inequalities and abuse involved in its application. However, some thought that prison could not serve as a sufficient deterrent to potential offenders, and they feared that abolishing beating would lead to an increase in crime rates. The discussion was concluded by a long speech of Đorđe Cenić, Minister of Justice (and author of the amendment), after which the proposal was accepted with a prevailing majority. This article will analyse the MPs’ attitudes towards this form of punishment, Cenić’s influence both as a political figure and as an expert on criminal law, and the arguments given by both sides, while attempting to place the analysed case into a broader legal-political framework.

Attitudes Toward Violence and Cyberstalking: Gender’s Moderating Role

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of gender in the relationship between attitudes toward violence and cyberstalking. A total of 393 Brazilian’s volunteers composed the sample (Age mean = 29.3, SD = 8.54, EP = 0.43, 71.2% female). Overall, the results showed that a positive correlation between all four factors that compose the scale of attitudes toward violence with cyberstalking. Gender moderated this relationship (war: b = –0.45, t = –3.30, p<0.01, corporal punishment of children: b = – 0.40, t = –2.62, p < 0.01, penal code violence: b = –0.34, t = –3.20, p < 0.01, intimate violence: b = –0.74, t = –1.93, p = 0.05). Specifically, data indicated that the attitudes x cyberstalking relation only was significant in women. A possible explanation is that attitudes can function as a psychological mechanism to justify problematic behavior, increasing the probability of cyberstalking engagement. However, more studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis. Thus, it is concluded that the objectives were met, highlighting the role of attitudes in the perpetration of specific aggressive behaviors that are more prevalent among women, assisting in the study of online violence and its specificities.

The Swedish version of the Alabama parenting questionnaire: Psychometric evaluation and norm data.

The Alabama parenting questionnaire (APQ) is a commonly used instrument for assessing parenting practices and evaluating treatment outcomes of parent-training interventions targeting child conduct problems. In the present study we translated and developed a Swedish version of the APQ parent version and tested it on a community sample of 799 parents of children between 6 and 15 years with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were collected through an online survey distributed through school newsletters and social media. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a five-factor model with 23 items. Four of these factors correspond to the subscales suggested in the original version of the APQ: inconsistent discipline, poor monitoring, involvement, and positive parenting. The fifth subscale from the original APQ, corporal punishment, did not show up as a factor in our data sample. Instead, a new factor, which we refer to as contingency management, was revealed. A confirmatory factor analysis further suggested some misalignment between the original APQ subscale structure and our sample, which we interpret as a signal that the instrument may need refinement to better reflect contemporary parenting methods in diverse cultural contexts. Despite this limitation, and with the exclusion of the corporal punishment subscale, which should be employed judiciously, our results suggest that the Swedish version of the APQ can be a useful instrument in measuring parenting practices in Sweden. We present norm data stratified by child age, which practitioners and researchers can use as a reference for assessment of parenting practices in the Swedish population.

Mothers’ Perceptions and Experiences on Corporal Punishment within the Family Systems Approach Framework

Mothers’ Perceptions and Experiences on Corporal Punishment within the Family Systems Approach Framework

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? A Critical Discourse Analysis of State Corporal Punishment Policies and Practices

Corporal punishment (CP), or inflicting pain through spanking, hitting, and paddling, is still legally sanctioned and exercised in U.S. schools. We use critical discourse analysis and draw on state policy documents and data from the Office of Civil Rights to investigate which discourses pervade policy texts and how CP is practiced. These sources reveal discourses relating to morality, delinquency, and authority that draw on ideas associated with power, punishment, and control. Across all these discourses, we find color-evasive and deficit language to justify CP practices that are disproportionally applied to minoritized students. We conclude with policy implications for CP and school discipline more broadly.

Prevalence of Parental Violent Discipline Toward Children: Findings From A Portuguese Population.

Despite recognizing the detrimental impact of parental violence on children's mental and physical health throughout their lives, violence remains an all-too-real part of life for many children around the globe. However, data on the child-reported prevalence of experienced family violence are scarce and primarily based on parental reports. This study aimed to broaden the body of evidence and measure the lifetime prevalence of child-reported experience of violent disciplinary practices perpetrated by parents and to identify its associated sociodemographic and economic factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 5,281 Generation XXI participants recruited from 2005 to 2006 in Porto, Portugal. Parental disciplinary practices were reported by 7-year-old children using the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale. Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare differences in child-reported frequencies of violent disciplinary practices by sociodemographic variables. We observed statistically significant differences in rates of violent disciplinary practices according to the child's and parent's gender. Specifically, fathers exhibited a higher likelihood than mothers to engage in psychological aggression and corporal punishment, while mothers were more prone to engage in severe and very severe physical assault. When fathers were the perpetrators, boys were more inclined than girls to report all forms of violent disciplinary measures, and when mothers were the perpetrators, boys were particularly susceptible to severe and very severe physical assault compared to girls. In our study, children reported being frequently subjected to violent parental disciplinary practices, independently of family socioeconomic background. Children were more likely to experience psychological aggression and corporal punishment if they were born into high-income families, while severe and very severe physical assaults were more common among children whose parents had lower educational levels. National public awareness of the negative effects of violent disciplinary practices is urgently needed, promoting child-friendly and nonviolent approaches to discipline.

Teachers’ understanding of gender-based violence in two public schools in Burkina Faso

Gender-based violence (GBV) in schools in Burkina Faso is a central concern for international organisations, as well as local NGOs and the national government. Yet, the voices of school teachers have received limited attention. In this article, we draw on focus group discussions and interviews conducted with school teachers at two public schools in Burkina Faso to investigate how they conceptualise GBV, as well as the factors shaping their understanding. The findings foreground the situated and subjective nature of their conceptualisation; which is shaped not just by international and national policies, but also by the sociocultural context in which the policies are enacted. Existing gender norms, the acceptance of corporal punishment as a disciplinary tool inside homes, and the practice of child marriage in Burkina Faso emerged as key factors shaping the participants’ perceptions. Based on the findings we argue that teachers must be 1) empowered to critically assess contextually relevant gender norms and cultural practices, and 2) provided with clear codes of ethical conduct in schools. It is equally important that teachers are given a seat at the table of policy formulation at regional, national and international levels, and the challenges faced by them are given consideration when designing interventions to curb GBV.

Evaluating the effects of prenatal intervention on parenting in women exposed to intimate partner violence.

The Pregnant Moms' Empowerment Program (PMEP) is a brief, group intervention for pregnant women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). This study was a quasirandomized trial of the effects of PMEP on parenting. Participants were 137 pregnant women exposed to IPV in the past year; 82 received PMEP and 55 were in a no-treatment control condition. Participants completed four assessments (pretest [T1], posttest [T2], 3-month postpartum[T3], and 12-month postpartum [T4]). At T1-T4, women self-reported on their parenting attitudes (i.e., expectations of children, parental empathy, corporal punishment, parent-child family roles) and parenting confidence. At the postpartum assessments, mother-infant dyads participated in a videorecorded free play session that was coded for warm-sensitive parenting. Results showed that women who received PMEP had more appropriate expectations of children (β = 0.51, 95% CI [0.03, 0.99], dr = 0.53, 95% CI [0.31, 1.02]) and higher empathy toward children (β = 0.64, 95% CI [0.05, 1.23], dr = 0.53, 95% CI [0.04, 1.02]) at T2, as compared to women in the control group. Women who received PMEP also showed more warm-sensitive parenting at T4 (Wald χ² = 4.01, p = .045; R² = 5.58%, d = 0.41, 95% CI [0.07, 0.88]) as compared to women in the control group. No differences emerged on corporal punishment, parent-child family roles, postpartum empathy and expectations of children, parenting confidence, or 3-month postpartum parenting behaviors. Thus, results were mixed, with some short-term positive effects and other benefits emerging only at 1-year postpartum. Findings highlight the potential clinical utility of brief interventions for pregnant, IPV-exposed women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Use of Physical Strength in Children’s Education: Learning from Indonesian Court’s Judgments

This article explores the limitations of using physical force in educating children in Indonesia. It examines the prevalence of violence by parents and teachers in education. Increased public awareness and concern for children's rights have made the use of violence in education a taboo. This research uses a qualitative method with secondary data using literature and analysing court decisions from the human rights perspective. This study aims to determine the limits of tolerance for violence and corporal punishment. The court decisions have been taken as the data to be analysed from various locations where decisions have been issued were taken into consideration to depict the similarities and differences in deciding matters related to corporal punishment towards children. This article examines historical, cultural, and religious factors that influence the use of physical force, including interpretations of Islamic teachings. This paper also presents arguments for and against corporal punishment as an educational tool. This research sheds light on the complexities surrounding the permissibility of physical force in children's education and the conflicting views in society, providing insight into evolving understandings and legal perspectives on the subject.

Representations of public caning in Serambi Indonesia: A linguistic approach to news framing analysis

With its distinctive autonomy in implementing Sharia, Aceh allows public caning as a form of corporal punishment not seen in other parts of Indonesia. This article examines how a prominent local newspaper, Serambi Indonesia, portrayed the implementation of public caning in Aceh over the past decade. This study combined transivity analysis and Gamson and Modigliani’s (1989) four framing devices: metaphors, exemplars, catchphrases, and depictions. The analysis focused on 45 articles related to public caning in Aceh published between January 2012 and December 2020 in Serambi Indonesia. The findings reveal that caning is a key theme in these news stories, signalling its execution for Sharia violators in Aceh. The findings also found an ambivalent representation of public caning. Depictions of paramedics, audiences, and public support, along with the use of exemplars, highlight a positive portrayal of the current practice of public caning in Aceh. The punishment is depicted as a way of educating offenders and a means to deter similar offenses in the future, which overshadows the severity of the punishment. The media also conveys a message that Aceh’s caning punishment differs from practices in the Middle East and suggests a “lighter” interpretation of Sharia. However, the coverage raises concerns about the effectiveness of caning as a deterrent and the fair implementation of the punishment. Therefore, the representations of public caning in Serambi Indonesia reflects ongoing controversy surrounding the event within Acehnese society.

Preventative Strategies to Curb School Violence: A Case Study of Selected Schools in Hhohho District of Eswatini, Mbabane

The violence occurring in schools is a concerning phenomenon with pervasive implications for learners, teachers, and communities. Its impact culminates in fear, stress, and a reduced sense of safety among learners and teachers. Its consequences extend beyond physical harm, thus affecting an individual’s mental well-being. This study provides a precis of the comprehensive nature of school violence and preventative strategies meant to curb this phenomenon. This study employed a case study design located within the interpretative paradigm. A qualitative approach was used to delve into the perceptions of learners and educators on the nature of school violence and measures that could be adopted to prevent it. Thirty (n = 30) participants involving ten learners (n = 10), ten parents (n = 10), and ten educators (n = 10) were purposively sampled. Ten learners participated in focus-group discussions, with five learners representing each school located in Mbabane, Eswatini (Imbabane Central and Mater Dolorosa High Schools). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 teachers and 10 parents (5 parents and 5 teachers from each school). A lack of effective methods of disciplining learners was identified as a cause of bullying and aggressive behaviours among learners. The findings reflect that violence is deeply rooted in harmful social norms, with corporal punishment being widely advocated by the participants. The findings indicate a crucial need for adopting an integrated and collaborative approach to the development and implementation of effective preventative measures.

The Effects of Perception and Childhood History on the Likelihood of Using Corporal Punishment on Children in Southwest Nigeria

Purpose: Despite its prohibition in some countries, corporal punishment persists globally, with parents using it for preventive, corrective, or punitive reasons. However, factors contributing to its persistent use in many developing countries lack comprehensive understanding. This study explores some of these factors—perceptions of physical abuse, childhood history of corporal punishment, and perceived efficacy—associated with the corporal punishment of children in Nigeria, practiced in diverse settings such as home, school, and community.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to obtain a sample of 187 respondents from southwest Nigeria who participated in a survey exploring their perceptions, childhood history of corporal punishment, and likelihood of using such methods on children. They consist of 65.8% males (n = 123) and 34.2% females (n=64) with an average age of 26.60 years (SD = 5.91). Descriptive analysis was used to describe the demographic characteristics, and multiple regression analysis was used to examine the associations.&#x0D; Results: The results reveal that the majority of respondents (n = 174, 93%) had experienced corporal punishment during their childhood and perceived it as effective in modifying a child’s behavior (n = 139, 74.3%). Weaker perceptions of physically abusive behaviors, a history of childhood corporal punishment, and support for the efficacy of such punishment were all correlated with an increased likelihood of using corporal punishment on children, although the positive and negative correlations were low.&#x0D; Conclusion: Findings emphasize the role of perceptions and childhood experiences in understanding parental use of corporal punishment. Addressing misconceptions about its effectiveness can reveal negative impacts, discourage use, and break the cycle of intergenerational transmission. The influence of weaker perceptions and support for corporal punishment suggests intervention potential, including parental awareness campaigns and educational programs to promote alternative disciplinary strategies for managing children's behavior.

Peace and Values Education as a Cross-Cutting Issue in Rwandan Schools: Teachers and Classroom-Based Perspective

Peace and values is one of the cross-cutting issues in the Rwandan primary and secondary school curriculum. Different organizations such as the Aegis Trust have trained teachers in integrating peace and values in the various subjects, they teach by training learners on how to build a culture of peace. This is very important to Rwanda as a post genocide. However, no research (at the best of our knowledge) has been conducted to investigate how and to what extent teachers integrate peace and values in various school subjects. This article reports on empirical research conducted in five primary schools in four provinces of Rwanda plus Kigali City to examine the teaching of peace and values in Rwandan schools. A qualitative approach was adopted for this research. Classroom observations, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings show that peace values are not part of teachers’ planning and are not explicitly referred to in classroom practices. This is mainly because teachers lack skills and knowledge to do so. However, some peace related messages are shared in extracurricular activities but these are counteracted by violent practices such as corporal punishment and bullying. This article concludes that teachers’ limited understanding of peace impedes the integration of peace culture in schools. Thus, it suggests that peace values should be explicitly and systematically integrated in the teaching of all subjects. It also calls for strong measures to end school violence in Rwandan schools by equipping teachers for positive management of learners’ behaviours.

An Evaluative Study of Impacts of Corporal Punishment on Students’ Personality at Primary Level in District Nowshera

Corporal punishment of children is a worldwide phenomenon children are physically punished in almost all society. Two key features define corporal punishment physical violence against children and the concept of punishment in response to wrong doing. Corporal punishment has great effect on the students in their academic life. It is conducted with in school. It has both positive and negative effects. When the students go against the rules and regulation and do not allow the discipline. Different types of punishment like kicking, slapping, punching or paddling etc. are given in the schools to change their negative behavior. It is observed that corporal punishment has negative effects on the student’s personality like they may falls in depression, fear and they start hatred from going to school. It will put bad effects on their personality, behavior and academic performance. Random sampling technique will be used. Data will be collected via questionnaire and then it will be analyzed by statistical package for social science (SPSS) software. Corporal punishment in schools reflects on large gap between current education policy that bans corporal punishment and actual implementations of the policy. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of corporal punishment in schools at primary level in District Nowshera.

Contextual Factors Promoting the use of Alternative Strategies to Corporal Punishment in Basic Schools in Mampong Municipality, Ghana

The use of alternative strategies to corporal punishment has become imperative as a result of the numerous negative consequences of the use of corporal punishment. This study, which utilized the qualitative research approach, studied 15 Basic school teachers and 15 Basic school headteachers who were purposively sampled from some Basic schools in Mampong Municipality of Ghana. The study was intended to find out the contextual reasons for their use of alternative strategies to corporal punishment. Using interview, focus group discussion and the phenomenological design, it was found that, the teachers use the alternative strategies because of policy reason, need to improve behaviour and the need to avoid the negative consequences of corporal punishment. These imply that the reasons for their use of the alternative strategies are rational. It was recommended that, these grounds upon which the teachers use these alternative strategies should be sustained by educational managers in the Municipality through continuous education of the stakeholders of education.

Cудебно-правовые реформы Фридриха II прусского и Павла I

Introduction. The topicality of the study is related to clarifying the degree of influence of the ideas and practices of Frederick II the Great on Paul I in public policy, in particular in carrying out a number of reforms. Such research contributes to rethinking of the history of the Russian autocracy not only in the XVIII century, but also in the general history of Russia. Materials and Methods. The research was conducted on the basis of a systematic approach, objectivity and historicism principles, and. In addition, general scientific methods of information analysis and synthesis, methods of deduction and induction, as well as the historical and comparative method were used. Analysis. The influence of the Prussian King Frederick II is commonly associated with the military reform of Paul I and the introduction of Prussian orders into the Russian army. However, it seems that the experience of Prussia during the time of Frederick the Great was used in other transformations of Paul I, including judicial and legal reforms, since the Russian emperor considered the Prussian model of government relevant for Russia. Building a Prussian-style state required innovations in various fields; the worldview and political discourse of the XVIII century played an important role in their implementation. To identify the ideas and practices of Frederick II of Prussia in the judicial and legal field, original works in German were used, demonstrating the key provisions of the reform of the Prussian king. The judicial and legal reform of Paul I are reflected in a number of works by Russian historians, but they do not provide a detailed comparison of the aspects of reform in Prussia and Russia. The facts demonstrating the similarity of the ongoing transformations include the abolition of torture and corporal punishment, the restructuring and centralization of judicial administration, unification and the creation of new legislation. Results. According to the results of the conducted research, it can be concluded that judicial and legal reforms were conditioned by the influence of Enlightened absolutism and were aimed at overcoming judicial arbitrariness and the implementation of humanistic ideas.

The Sozonov Case, 1910: The Making of a Russian Revolutionary Martyrology

Abstract: On the night of 27 November (10 December) 1910, the Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist Egor Sozonov, renowned as the assassin of Minister of the Interior Viacheslav von Pleve in July 1904, committed suicide in his Siberian prison cell in protest at the use of corporal punishment against his fellow political prisoners. News of Sozonov’s death provoked an outcry across Russia: it was accompanied by questions in the Duma, widespread and hagiographical coverage in the liberal and revolutionary press, and student protests in the major university towns (and, conversely, by barely concealed joy from the Black- Hundredist right). This article serves two purposes. First, it reconstructs, in as much detail as the evidence allows, the events surrounding Sozonov’s death, which (despite their infamy at the time) have up to now received little scholarly attention and remain, to some extent, shrouded in mystery. Secondly, it explores how these events came to serve as the basis of a revolutionary martyrology — originally promoted by the SRs, and later appropriated by the Bolsheviks after 1917 — that glorified Sozonov as a ‘just assassin’, persecuted by a despotic government, who had ultimately sacrificed his own life in order that others might live. The article situates Sozonov’s death in the wider political, social and cultural context of the time, considering it in relation to contemporary discourses on suicide (as a transcendentalist political act), corporal punishment (long regarded as the gravest imaginable insult to the dignity of educated Russians), the ‘moral economy’ of revolutionary terrorism and the quasi-religious mythologies of the revolutionary underground.

Challenges with the Use of Alternative Strategies to Corporal Punishment in Ghanaian Basic Schools

Challenges with the Use of Alternative Strategies to Corporal Punishment in Ghanaian Basic Schools

아버지의 훈육방식이 유아의 심리적 건강성과 또래 놀이 행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between fathers' training method, children's psychological well-being, and peer play behavior, and to find out how fathers' training method affect children's psychological well-being and peer play behavior. To achieve these objectives, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression analysis were conducted using questionnaire data from 302 fathers of children aged 5-7 years old in daycare centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, and the results of the study were as follows. First, the relationship between fathers' training method, children's psychological well-being, and peer play behavior showed that fathers' coercive corporal punishment and neglectful training method were significantly and negatively related to children's psychological well-being and peer play behavior, and fathers' logical explanation training method were positively related to children's psychological well-being and peer play behavior. Second, when analyzing the effects of fathers' training method on children's psychological well-being and peer play behavior, it was predicted that fathers' coercive corporal punishment and neglectful training method had significant negative effects on children's psychological well-being, while logical explanation training method had significant positive effects on children's psychological well-being. Among fathers' training method, neglectful training method was predicted to have a significant negative effect on children's peer play behavior, and logical explanation training method was predicted to have a significant positive effect on children's peer play behavior. We hope that the results of this study will be used as an important guide for fathers' training method in order to promote positive effects on their children, who are the protagonists of the future due to the increasing participation of fathers in parenting at home and in society.

Family perpetrated and condoned violence in the education of male Greco-Roman children

ABSTRACT It is widely recognized that physical corporal punishment was experienced by many Greco-Roman children and youths when they attended schools. However, relatively little attention has been paid to family perpetrated or condoned violence that was directed at children with learning impairments. This study examines the role of physical, emotional, and verbal family abuse perpetrated by parents, relatives, and other members of the household, such as slaves and freedmen, in the education of males with learning impairments. It examines in detail the family abuse suffered by Kottalos, the son of Mētrotimē, Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, who at the age of 50 would become ruler of the Roman Empire, and Atticus Bradua, the son of the famous Athenian sophist Herodes Atticus and his Roman wife Regilla. All three were subjected to physical, emotional, and verbal family abuse because they were identified as individuals with learning impairments.