PESHAWAR, May 19: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani said on Wednesday that his government planned to do away with the menace of corporal punishment in homes and schools. Speaking on the occasion of release of a study on corporal punishment conducted in three districts in the NWFP, he said those involved in such actions were violating the Shariat and the law of the land.
He said the educational department would be reorganized and he hoped that such steps would result in a decrease in the practice of giving punishment in all its forms.
The study titled ‘Disciplining the child: prospects and impact,’ has shown that corporal punishment is a complex problem with deep socio-cultural roots and targeted action by the government and the civil society is needed to end it. It Said a comprehensive public education campaign was needed to bring a positive change in social behaviour in this regard.
The study has been conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund and Save the Children, Sweden, in Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan and Hangu districts.
The report identified 28 types of punishment in homes and 43 in schools.
Disobedience, use of abusive language, lack of interest in studies or domestic work, quarrels and adults’ frustrations were identified as the main causes for the use of corporal punishment.
Volume of corporal punishment in homes and schools was almost the same and there was no major difference in public and private schools, it said.
It observed that younger children were receiving more punishment than older ones. It said 43.11 per cent children in primary schools faced corporal punishment.
In homes, uncles were involved in physical punishment in 41.51 per cent of the cases while parents were involved in 10.11 per cent.
Children who regularly received corporal punishment developed physical, mental and psychological weaknesses and there performance in later years was lowers than that of their age groups, it said.
It observed that corporal punishment was the major cause of children dropping out from schools and loss of concentration and interest in studies.
Fear of punishment made children scared, and feel ashamed, disgusted and insulted and they became shy and irritable for the rest of lives, the report said.