{"id":46067,"date":"2018-11-22T12:11:13","date_gmt":"2018-11-22T20:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=46067"},"modified":"2018-11-22T12:11:13","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T20:11:13","slug":"canada-what-will-it-take-to-end-physical-punishment-of-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/canada-what-will-it-take-to-end-physical-punishment-of-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada: What will it take to end physical punishment of children?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nRecently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a\u00a0policy statement<\/a>recommending that parents not spank, hit or slap their children.<\/p>\n

The announcement created a\u00a0flurry of media<\/a>\u00a0attention\u00a0around the world<\/a>\u00a0with headlines such as \u201cSpanking is Still Really Common, and Still Really Bad for Kids<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement is significant, but it\u2019s also old news. It adds to already substantial\u00a0research evidence about the risks that physical punishment poses to children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To date, 54 countries have banned the physical punishment of children, and 56 more have declared that they will.<\/a>\u00a0Canada has done neither.<\/p>\n

In Canada, the\u00a0law<\/a>\u00a0still permits parents to use\u00a0physical punishment<\/a>\u00a0to discipline their children.<\/p>\n

Truth and reconciliation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is about more than health. In my research, I am involved in a\u00a0multi-disciplinary project<\/a>\u00a0in which we examine the intertwined health, religious and reconciliation issues as they relate to corporal punishment.<\/p>\n

What the AAP doesn\u2019t mention is that interpretations of scripture in the Bible are one of the reasons corporal punishment has been normalized in the parenting toolbox.\u00a0The influence of concepts such as \u201cspare the rod; spoil the child\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(based on Proverbs 13:24) have been\u00a0widely used to justify<\/a>\u00a0physical punishment.<\/p>\n

An egregious result of such teachings was the way physical punishment was used against Indigenous children in church-run and government-supported Indian Residential Schools. Call to Action 6 of the\u00a0Truth and Reconciliation Commission<\/a>\u00a0calls upon the Government of Canada\u00a0to remove Section 43 of the Criminal Code: the law that allows for the physical punishment of children.<\/a><\/p>\n

Banning corporal punishment in Canada would be in keeping with the AAP\u2019s strong and research-based statement about the need for adults to avoid physically punishing children. It would also be a critical step toward reconciliation.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s lethargy is baffling<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is baffling that this law reform remains so controversial here in Canada when it has been embraced around the world. In the past year alone, the Philippines, the Republic of Kosovo, South Africa and Scotland\u00a0have all taken steps towards the full legal protection of children against violence.<\/a>\u00a0One argument against repealing the legislation includes\u00a0the view that limited use of corporal punishment does no harm and may be a benefit to the child.<\/a><\/p>\n

But the science disagrees.<\/p>\n

Study<\/a>\u00a0after\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates that not only is\u00a0corporal punishment ineffective<\/a>\u00a0in promoting long-term positive health outcomes, but it also places children at risk for poor\u00a0mental health<\/a>,\u00a0higher levels of violence and aggression,<\/a>\u00a0low emotional-adjustment<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0increased antisocial behaviour.<\/a><\/p>\n

A recent\u00a0study led by psychologist Frank J. Elgar<\/a>\u00a0showed that countries that have fully banned corporal punishment have less youth violence. Public health researcher\u00a0Jo Becker<\/a>argues that enduring change happens when\u00a0bans are combined with public education.<\/a>When laws changed, changes in attitudes and practices quickly followed.<\/p>\n

A combination of both legislation and public education is the most sensible plan for Canada.<\/p>\n

Children need discipline<\/strong><\/h4>\n

People ask me \u201cWhat happens if my child tries to run out in front of a bus? Won\u2019t changing this law stop me from protecting her?\u201d Of course not! Keeping your child safe from danger is not physical punishment; It is a parental duty.<\/p>\n

Physical punishment is\u00a0hitting a child to cause them to feel pain in the hope that the experience of pain will correct their behaviour.<\/a>\u00a0This is fundamentally different from the use of appropriate force to protect a child, both in purpose and in action. Repealing laws that permit physical punishment in no way means that child discipline is not important. The opposite is true: providing discipline is an essential part of good parenting. But all children have the right to discipline that does not endanger their well-being.<\/p>\n

I am downplaying the importance of the legal implications of reform. But the 110 countries that have either banned or are moving towards bans of physical punishment have had to think through legal issues, and Canada can do that too.<\/p>\n

Many groups have called for change<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In 2004, a national coalition of diverse organizations facilitated by the Children\u2019s Hospital of Eastern Ontario published the \u201cJoint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth.<\/a>\u201d Drawing on contemporary evidence, it draws attention to the risks posed by physical punishment and calls instead for positive approaches to discipline. It has been endorsed by 615 organizations from across Canada, including community organizations, cultural and religious groups, Indigenous groups, school boards, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Canadian Medical Association.<\/p>\n

Yet, the law permitting the use of physical punishment in Canada prevails.<\/p>\n

What will it take to stop hitting our kids?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

All the evidence we need to stop hitting our children is already available. Clearly, change is going to take something more. For one thing, it will require a critical examination of the cultural and religious norms and values that perpetuate this behaviour even in the face of\u00a0overwhelming evidence<\/a>\u00a0documenting its harms. And it will require reflection on our collective tacit acceptance of violence against children.<\/p>\n

Until that happens, and until the normalization and even justification of violence against children is called out by Canadians, our children will be at risk.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Valerie Michaelson is a Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Public Health Sciences and School of Religion at Queen’s University, Ontario<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a\u00a0policy statementrecommending that parents not spank, hit or slap their children. The announcement created a\u00a0flurry of media\u00a0attention\u00a0around the world\u00a0with headlines such as \u201cSpanking is Still Really Common, and Still Really Bad for Kids.\u201d The statement is significant, but it\u2019s also old news. It adds to already substantial\u00a0research […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":46068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[224509],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-46067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-change","tag-corporal-punishment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCanada: What will it take to end physical punishment of children? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/canada-what-will-it-take-to-end-physical-punishment-of-children\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada: What will it take to end physical punishment of children? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a\u00a0policy statementrecommending that parents not spank, hit or slap their children. 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