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Spanking A Child Essay

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The textbook defines physical child abuse as, “any act that results in a nonaccidental physical injury by a person who has care, custody, or control of a child” (p.157). Many people disagree on what the term child abuse means. Yelling at a child or spanking a child is not considered child abuse based on this definition. However it is possible that spanking a child can cause injury, but most medical and legal authorities will not consider it child abuse unless the force is sufficient to leave marks. A number of parents spank their children in order to teach them discipline when they do not listen or act out, but because of the controversial question of whether or not spanking is child abuse most parents have sought other forms of discipline. …show more content…

“The Committee on the Rights of the Child in the General Comment No. 8 defines corporal punishment as, “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Most involves hitting (“smacking”, “slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the hand or with an implement” (unicef website). Corporal punishment has been used in schools as a method of discipline and as a form of punishment for committing a crime. Some people will say that corporal punishment is no different from physical abuse, because your intending to cause some degree of pain or discomfort. However from my personal experience I went to an elementary school where they were allowed to spank the children as long as the child’s parents had signed an approval form. So needless to say if I ever got sent down to the principles officer for acting out or being bad my parents gave the principle permission to spank me. I believe that there is a difference between corporal punishment and physical abuse. Corporal punishment is a method of disciplining a child or person for acting out or for committing a crime, whereas physical abuse is causing nonaccidnetal physical injury for no apparent reason. My parents raised me to know that if I did something bad I was bound to get a “butt whooping” so I knew that if I did the same thing

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