Children and corporal punishment
In a candid and forthright article written by Sir Frank Peters in an English-language newspaper about corporal punishment in our schools, he asks why we, loving parents, are permitting teachers to beat our children, the same ones we claim to love more than ourselves.
He asks all the lawmakers why they have not come forward to abolish it.
He points out it serves no good purpose to the individual or to society, but causes tremendous damage to the child's mental (and sometimes physical) state and scars them for life.
Ever since reading the story my wife, neighbours, and I have been discussing this and asking ourselves exactly the same question.
We think we are a law-abiding peaceful nation, but given the first opportunity we burn cars, motorcycles, public and private property in the streets for no logical reason. We kill and maim bag snatchers, yet there are 1001 worst crimes. We damage the machinery in our garments factories and set fire to the premises, the same factories that put food on our tables year-in, year-out and deprive ourselves of our livelihoods.
Our university students cause horrendous and deplorable injuries to each other in the name of democracy. What role has corporal punishment played in our learning to be violent and acting disgraceful for the entire world to see, as we often do?
Sir Frank said corporal punishment has no place in modern society. “It only teaches violence and ingrains despise and hatred”.
You only have to look at the deplorable behaviour of our university students and the shameful bad example they are setting for young children, to know he is right.
The sooner this government takes time off from renaming airports and concentrates on what really matters our children's welfare the better.
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