Letter: Non-violence alone will help schools
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: We write as children's doctors to express our disquiet over the backing by the Education Secretary for the re-establishment of corporal punishment in schools ("This hurts us more than it hurts you", 30 October).
Our experience of the increasing level of violence affecting children, both in the form of bullying and through adult-to-child abuse, leads us to believe that there is an urgent need to promote measures which are non-violent - as recommended by the recent Gulbenkian Commission.
There is no evidence that smacking or caning children at school either improves discipline or reduces behaviour problems, and it sets an example which would be unacceptable in any other area of society.
Corporal punishment involving implements such as canes may also have perverse sexual connotations which not only represent child abuse but may produce gratification in a minority of perpetrators, and possibly in some victims with long-lasting adverse psychological consequences.
We would like to draw attention to one of the principles outlined in the Gulbenkian Commission's checklist for a non-violent society: all discipline should be positive and children should be taught pro-social values and behaviour including in particular the non-violent resolution of problems.
We would agree with the commission's view that physical punishment is a direct exercise of violence on a child which teaches the child that violent solutions work. Being smacked or caned sets an example to the punished child of violence used by a more powerful person to impose their will on someone weaker, as well as arousing feelings of anger and humiliation that are liable to be released subsequently in aggression.
We are deeply concerned about the disorder currently prevailing in many UK schools. This is symptomatic of problems in society as well as in the education system and requires a strong response by government - one which provides support for teachers, pupils and their families rather than the imposition of an outdated measure of discipline which could only do more harm in the long term.
We suggest that more attention be paid to restricting violence on the television screen and to encouraging parents to become more involved with and supportive of their children when they are not in school.
Dr TONY WATERSTON
Dr BEATE KAMPMANN
Dr FRANK BAMFORD
Dr HARVEY MARCOVITCH
Prof COLIN SINCLAIR-SMITH
Dr DAVID SOUTHALL
Dr HUGH DAVIES
Prof ILLKA VALIMAKI
Dr MICHAEL PLUNKETT
Dr DAVID P JONES
Child Advocacy International
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments