Child Protection or Child Liberation? Reflections on the Movement to Ban Physical Punishment by Parents and Educators

Abstract

In recent years the debate on the legitimacy of the infliction of corporal punishment by parents on their children has been intensified. This traditional parental power has been challenged both at governmental and legislature levels and in the courts, in some cases leading to its prohibition — a policy which has now been endorsed by various international norm-setting bodies.This article traces the historical development of this abolitionist movement on the international plane and seeks to identify the ideologies which have motivated it. In particular, it assesses the respective roles of the child protection ideology, which is concerned with the prevention of victimization, and the children's rights perspective. The contravening role of the family rights ideology is also considered. The article also uses case-studies to analyse the interplay of these forces on the national level, and considers the usefulness of this analysis to predict abolition.