1st Edition
Global Pathways to Abolishing Physical Punishment Realizing Children’s Rights
This book describes the unfolding of a global phenomenon: the legal prohibition of physical punishment of children. Until thirty years ago, this near-universal practice was considered appropriate, necessary and a parental right. But a paradigm shift in conceptions of childhood has led to a global movement to redefine it as violence and as a violation of children’s rights. Today, many countries have prohibited it in all settings, including the home. This remarkable shift reflects profound cultural changes in thinking about children and their development, parent-child relationships, and the role of the state in family life. It has involved actors in many sectors, including academia, government, non-governmental organizations and children themselves. Documenting the stories of countries that have either prohibited corporal punishment of children or who are moving in that direction, this volume will serve as a sourcebook for scholars and advocates around the world who are interested in the many dimensions of physical punishment and its elimination.
Foreword Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro Acknowledgments Part 1: The Rationale for Eliminating Physical Punishment of Children 1. Introduction to the Global Movement to Ban Physical Punishment of Children Anne B. Smith and Joan E. Durrant 2. The Human Rights Imperative to Eliminate Physical Punishment Peter Newell 3. The Theoretical Rationale for Eliminating Physical Punishment Anne B. Smith 4. The Empirical Rationale for Eliminating Physical Punishment Joan E. Durrant Part 2: Stories of Progress towards Prohibition 5. Africa: Growing Momentum towards the Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Sonia Vohito 6. Australia: The Ongoing Debate about Ending Physical Punishment Bernadette Saunders and Judy Cashmore 7. Canada: The Rocky Road of Repeal Anne McGillivray and Cheryl Milne 8. Costa Rica: Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment in Central America Milena Grillo 9. Finland: Children’s Right to Protection Sari Husa 10. Germany: Background and Legal Consequences of the Right to be Raised Without Violence Kai-D. Bussman 11. Lithuania: Changing a Culture of Violence towards Children Ieva Kromelyte 12. Mongolia: A Nation in Transition Olonchimeg Dorjpurev 13. The Netherlands: The Law Against Using Violence in Bringing Up Children Mirjam Elisabeth Blaak 14. New Zealand: The Achievements and Challenges of Prohibition Nicola Taylor, Beth Wood and Anne B. Smith 15. Norway: The Long and Winding Road towards Prohibiting Physical Punishment Kirsten Sandberg 16. Romania: Banning Corporal Punishment of Children Gabriela Alexandrescu 17. Serbia: Moving towards the Abolition of Physical Punishment of Children Jelena Srna and Ivana Stevanovic 18. Spain: Banning Physical and Humiliating Punishment in the Home Pepa Horno Goicoechea 19. Sweden: A 30-Year Ban on Physical Punishment of Children Staffan Janson, Bodil Långberg and Birgitta Svensson 20. The United Kingdom: The Ongoing Struggle to Achieve Legal Reform Sharon Owen 21. Uruguay: The Landmark Law in Latin America Maria Clara Galvis and Gaby Reyes Godoy 22. Venezuela: The Process of Prohibiting Physical and Humiliating Punishment Maria Clara Galvis and Gaby Reyes Godoy 23. Yemen: Prohibiting Physical and Humiliating Punishment in Schools Aisha Saeed and Lucienne Maas Part 3: Lessons Learned and Pathways to the Future 24. Effects of Banning Corporal Punishment in Europe: A Five-Nation Comparison Kai-D. Bussmann, Claudia Erthal and Andreas Schroth 25. Witnessing History and Charting the Future: Pathways to Prohibition Anne B. Smith and Joan E. Durrant
Biography
Joan E. Durrant is a Child-Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Family Social Sciences at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Her research focuses on the psychological, cultural, legal and human rights dimensions of corporal punishment of children. She was the principal researcher and co-author of the Canadian Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth; a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children; and a co-editor of Eliminating Corporal Punishment: The Way Forward to Constructive Discipline (UNESCO). She has been active in public education on the prevention of child maltreatment in Canada and internationally.
Anne B. Smith was the director of the Children’s Issues Centre (CIC) at the University of Otago in New Zealand for 12 years, and has been a researcher and writer on childhood and child development for many years. Her book, Understanding Children’s Development, has been read by practitioners in many child-related fields. Anne also led the CIC team which wrote the influential report The Discipline and Guidance of Children: Messages from Research, and is involved in public education about research on the effects of physical punishment. She is currently working on a variety of research studies, including projects on children as citizens, early childhood education and family discipline at the University of Otago.
