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Is Corporal Punishment Child Abuse?

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Hitting, fighting, screaming, ignoring, unnecessary touching, are all examples of child abuse. Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the most visible, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse and neglect, also leave deep, lasting scars. (Smith, and Segal). There are four types of child abuse, physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Physical abuse is any type of injury a child may receive, such as scars, bruises, and other visible injuries, which can occur from hitting, slapping, kicking and other types of violence. Emotional abuse is the use of slanderous and hurtful words that can cut deep into a child. Such as constant yelling or threatening, and making negative comments. Sexual abuse is …show more content…

(McCarthy). Corporal Punishment is no more than discipline of how to teach a child right from wrong. Children often challenge parents by misbehaving in order to get what they want, for example attention, objects, or approval; however it all comes with consequence. (Strauss) Most people in today’s society view corporal punishment as child abuse. In 2004, Court was held in Maryland, Charles County Department of Social Services versus Vann of the difference between reasonable punishment and child abuse. The court eventually ruled that reasonable corporal punishment is not child abuse. (McCarthy). This was just one of the many cases that disprove corporal punishment being child abuse. In other news a recent poll was taken on whether or not corporal punishment would promote well disciplined students, and fifty-two percent said yes while forty-eight percent said no. (Debate.org) Where corporal punishment is mostly referred to is in the school system. A list that was taken and last updated in 2008 showed that twenty-two states still allow a form of corporal punishment, while there are now twenty-eight states that have banned the use of it. (InfoPlease). While the number of states that do not support corporal punishment outweigh the number that do, this does not mean that most teachers in the school systems find that they agree with that policy being illegal. A survey was conducted by Times Educational of 6000 teachers whether or not they believe that getting rid of

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