A student who is beaten up becomes scared, loses confidence and sometimes simply refuses to go to school, religious institutions and other technical learning centres to avoid punishment. Teachers slap and use sticks, which is quite painful and insulting to the students. The trend of corporal punishment in the schools, religious institutions and technical training centres by untrained and tactless teachers make students lose interest in studies, besides forcing them to remain absent from institutions in certain instances. It not only results of wounds on the body of students, but also wounds their souls.
Strict behaviour of teachers is an issue of concern for the students who are even good at their studies as sometimes they are not safe from mental and physical abuse. It is heartbreaking for the parents when their children drop out of schools and lose a lifetime opportunity to get a start they deserve for a decent life. Corporal punishment has negative effects on children’s psychology and personality. Harsh, punitive environment is destructive to growth and learning. Beatings at schools are responsible for one of the highest dropout rates in the Pakistan. It is painful that the corporal punishment is a culturally accepted form of child abuse in many parts of our community.
A ban was imposed by the provincial governments on corporal punishment at schools, but a proper mechanism to implement it is yet awaited. The practice of corporal punishment is at 89 percent in most areas of Pakistan and contrary to popular belief, it prevails both in rural and urban settings. Corporal punishment is a form of child rights abuse like, neglect, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, violence, youth gangs, child labour, use of weapons and harassment on the way to and from school etc.
There is now more realisation about the adverse effects of corporal punishment, but many teachers still believe that some form of physical punishment is unavoidable to instruct children. That is the reason that children in Pakistan are still facing number of issues, including lack of a comprehensive legal framework to protect them from the internal trafficking, domestic labour, sexual abuse and corporal punishment in schools, homes, religious institutions and work places like workshops, factories etc.
We should try to change our behaviour regarding the corporal punishment. We should initiate realisation campaign among teachers to make sure an end to this evil habit. Pakistan is the first among the Muslim countries to sign and ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but corporal punishment is still practised here. Unfortunately, there is a lack of zeal among the government departments to make Pakistan a child friendly state.
Even parents think corporal punishment as a way of correction for their children in schools, work shops and religious institutions. The government should expedite enactment of legislation on the rights of the children and ban corporal punishment. Students should be taught in a friendly manner, as it not only increases their interest in studies, but also has positive influences on their personalities.
SYED ABDULLAH AKHUNZADA
Malakand
