Oxford church debates the smacking of children (From Oxford Mail)
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting OXFORD NEWS to 80360 or email us
Oxford church debates the smacking of children
4:37pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in
IS it acceptable to punish a child by smacking?
That was the subject under discussion at an Oxford church. Blackbird Leys’ Church of the Holy Family hosted a day-long roadshow about corporal punishment in the home.
Members of the public were welcomed into the church, for Tuesday’s event, to discuss their views on smacking children and their experiences growing up, while schoolchildren took part in roleplay sessions and art exercises.
Campaigners led by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, took part in a sunset candlelit procession to demonstrate their commitment to bringing the practice to an end.
The Rev Roger Burne, of the church in Cuddesdon Way, said: “There is a concern that it’s legal to hit children.
“If you enforce discipline by being bigger, shouting louder and being stronger, then the message you send is you can control people, by shouting and hitting them.
“If you exercise appropriate but non-violent discipline, then children learn that you can have boundaries and discipline in a non-violent way.”
He pointed to the way schools had adapted to disciplining children after corporal punishment was outlawed in state schools in 1986, adding: “We are dealing with our future generation.
“This community, as with any other community, has its problems with violence, but if young people of all ages are treated with respect then children will give respect.”
Roadshow co-ordinator Christine Dodd, of Churches’ Network for Non Violence, worked in partnership with the NSPCC and the Children are Unbeatable campaign to organise the event, which is touring the UK.
Ms Dodd said: “Some people said they were hit as children and they remember the humiliation they felt.
“Children are our most precious and vulnerable resource, and violence should play no part in their lives.”
eallen@oxfordmail.co.uk
Comments(3)
Isisbridge
says...
10:25am Mon 22 Mar 10
Isisbridge
says...
10:29am Mon 22 Mar 10
More Oxford stories
Buy this photo »
RAISING AWARENESS: The Lord Mayor of Oxford Mary Clarkson, the Rev Roger Burne, and the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, hold a candlelit vigil
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
PDeverit says...
4:43pm Thu 18 Mar 10
For one thing, because the buttocks are so close to the genitals and so multiply linked to sexual nerve centers, striking them can trigger powerful and involuntary sexual stimulus in some people. There are numerous physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can use the resources I've posted if they want to learn more. All materials listed may be accessed at the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net.
Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child buttock-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting
","switching","smack
ing", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr. Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.