A famous idiom says “spare the rod and spoil the child” which simply means that if the parent will not punish his child when the latter has committed something wrong, then the child will not be able to distinguish right from wrong. The child will likewise never learn good manners and right conduct.
Research says that Sweden was the first country to ban spanking in 1979. Through the years, there have been several movements against spanking of children. In fact, the European Committee is encouraging the member countries to ban corporal punishment. In 2007, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Uruguay, Venezuela, Spain and Chile approved laws which for prohibit parents from spanking their children. In the United States, California and Massachusetts have laws that ban spanking. Because of these laws, more countries are expected to adopt their respective laws against spanking.
Most anti-spanking laws have been enacted pursuant to studies on the effects of spanking which is believed to be the cause of violent and aggressive behaviour of children. Based on recent studies, when children are repeatedly spanked, they develop a notion that spanking is an acceptable and normal behavior of adults. Consequently, when these children becomes adult they exhibit violent behavior towards other people or even to their own children on the basis that adults are entitled to be violent and any violent behavior is acceptable as long as it is done by adults. Because of these studies which discourage spanking due to its serious effect on the behavior of children, spanking has become a prohibited act in many countries.
The Research paper on Child Spanking
In todays society, spanking is a major controversial topic. Spanking is the act of striking a child’s buttocks with an open hand (Moninger). Only a short 38 years ago in 1974 the United States passed the Child Abuse and Treatment Act prior to this act spanking children was considered a “family matter” and was not something others questioned (CAPTA). A poll of 1,000 readers on parents.com eighty- ...
On the other hand, it is worthy to note that although these laws will prevent abusive parents from spanking their children and may likewise prevent the development of violent behavior on children, the positive effects of spanking in moderation in order to make the children realize their wrongdoings, have not been considered. As a result, the efficiency of these laws are now being challenged on the ground that despite the enactment and implementation of the ban on spanking there has been increased rate of child abuse, aggressive parenting and even youth violence. Hence, the aggressive and violent behavior of children cannot be absolutely attributed to spanking since recent studies also show that adults who have displayed violent and aggressive behavior are those who have not been spanked during their childhood.
