Citing its irreversible impact on children, a child rights organization is calling for the prohibition of corporal punishment in the country.
Corporal or physical punishment, as defined by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), is “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light.” There are also non-physical forms of punishment that are cruel and degrading such as humiliation, threats, or ridicules.
“What many parents and guardians do not realize is that corporal punishment can be physically and psychologically damaging and causes a wide range of short and long-term negative impacts to a child which are often irreversible,” said Save the Children Philippines Chief Executive Officer Atty. Alberto Jesus Muyot on Monday, May 3.
In the Philippines and around the world, the group noted that corporal punishment remains the “most prevalent form of violence against children” and 87 percent of the world’s children are “not protected from corporal punishment by law.”
Citing data from the National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children in 2016, the group said that “3 in every 5 Filipino children are experiencing physical and psychological violence in their homes, schools, and communities.”
Save the Children Philippines also noted ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has “exacerbated cases of violence against children” - particularly corporal punishment, based on several consultations and surveys it conducted along with its partners.
Harmful to children
Citing the World Health Organization’s World Report on Violence and Health, Save the Children Philippines Child Protection Advisor Wilma Banaga explained that corporal punishment harms children. “It kills thousands of children, and injures and physically impairs many more,” she added.
On April 22, a one-year-old child reportedly died from the hands of his adolescent mother (18) in Barangay Upper Bicutan, Taguig City. The autopsy report revealed that the child suffered blunt abdominal trauma allegedly caused by the beating of his mother after being irritated by his cries. The mother was allegedly going through tough times during the pandemic according to the police.
“It is important that young parents are provided the needed support on parenting as many of them are barely out of their teens and are actually too young to be a parent,” Banaga said. “The government should exercise its responsibility in supporting parents so they can properly rear their children,” she added.
In support of the International Day to End Corporal Punishment, the group participated in the high level international online event Together to #ENDviolence Solutions Summit Series on April 30 together with Filipino youth leader “Ericka” of Children Talk to Children, a network of child-led groups supported by Save the Children Philippines.
Along with the global initiative, the prohibition of corporal punishment and the promotion of Positive Discipline are continuously being advocated by Save the Children Philippines despite the veto of the Positive Discipline Bill in 2019.
“The absence of a law that prohibits corporal punishment should not prevent us from stopping this harmful practice and in using positive forms of discipline to guide our children,” said Muyot, who is also a former Undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
“If we want to raise happy and resilient children, we should positively discipline them and not hurt the - let us all remember that ending corporal punishment starts from our own homes,” Muyot added.