Corporal Punishment In Canada

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The Canadian law which grants parents and teachers the right to punish a child using physical force ignites the argument of whether this piece of legislation belongs in the Criminal Code. In order to take children’s rights seriously, individuals need to recognize that children are not merely the property of their caregivers and teachers, but are in fact individuals with inherent rights. Although the main purpose of corporal punishment is to prevent unacceptable behaviour and attitudes, other non-physical forms of corrective practices have been found just as effective, if not more. Unfortunately, Canadian legal history has neglected the rights of the child, and has viewed children as more passive objects than active and gifted individuals.…show more content…
Larzelere (2000) found that the most beneficial outcomes tended to occur when physical punishment was used non-abusively, flexibility, and infrequently as a backup to other disciplinary methods. However, Larzelere (2000) also found that spanking was shown to have no better effect on the obedience of four to nine year olds then six alternative methods. People may argue that parents should be able to choose between the various alternatives including non-abusive spanking as a disciplinary method. There are many researchers who believe that physical punishment is the way to discipline a child. Harding and Ireland (1989) argue that corporal punishment is easy and quick to apply, does not take much skill, and is readily available when needed. Others believe there should be defined instructions which guide how, and under what circumstances physical punishment should take place; there should be…show more content…
However, that does not go against the fact that physical punishment still violates children’s rights set out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of a Child. Although research shows that corporal punishment does not often trigger quick obedience in a child in the short term, most studies do not find that it enhances the child’s social and psychological development whatsoever in the long term. Discipline should be taught from example—not by hitting. Essentially, parents are most important role models in a child’s life, and physically punishing can potentially affect their child’s life

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