Every year in the United States at least 220,000 children in public
schools are subjected to corporal punishment, or "paddling." Permitted in 21 states, the practice leaves many children injured and disengaged from the process of learning. African-American
students and students with mental or physical disabilities receive corporal punishment at disproportionately high rates, creating a hostile school environment in which these students may struggle to
succeed.
Although some educators believe that corporal punishment is an effective way to deter students from misbehavior-including harmful behavior like fighting- beatings hurt students, erode
the trust between educators and students, and degrade the larger educational environment. Corporal punishment teaches students that violence is legitimate and rarely leads to any long-term decrease in
classroom misbehavior. And corporal punishment is incompatible with human rights standards prohibiting cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and protecting children from physical violence and mental
abuse.
This brochure summarizes A Violent Education, a report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union.
A child walks near vehicles set ablaze by supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) during a protest against the Supreme court's decision to exclude former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif and ...
