Campaigns against corporal punishment
Encyclopedia
Campaigns against corporal punishment have been seen in a number of different countries at different times, and they have met with varying degrees of success.
, one of the earliest organised campaigns was that of the Humanitarian League, with its regular magazine The Humanitarian, which campaigned for several years for the abolition of the chastisement of young seamen in the Royal Navy, a goal partially achieved in 1906 when naval birching
was abandoned as a summary punishment. However, it did not manage to get the Navy to abolish caning
as a punishment, which continued at Naval training establishments until 1967.
The Howard League for Penal Reform
campaigned in the 1930s for, among many other things, the abolition of judicial corporal punishment
by cat-o'-nine-tails or birching
. This was eventually achieved in the U.K. in 1948.
The Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment (STOPP) was set up in the U.K. in 1968 to campaign for the abolition of corporal punishment in UK schools.
STOPP was a very small pressure group that lobbied government, local authorities and other official institutions. It also investigated individual cases of corporal punishment and aided families wishing to pursue their cases through the UK and European courts.
The UK Parliament abolished corporal punishment in state schools in 1986; there is no way of knowing how much part STOPP's campaigning played in this. STOPP then wound itself up and ceased to exist, though some of the same individuals went on to form EPOCH to campaign to outlaw spanking, and spanking in the domestic setting, even by parents.
, who in the 19th century unsuccessfully opposed its use in schools.
In the United States
there are currently several different organisations advocating the abolition of paddling in schools, including:
or schools. It seeks to monitor the legal situation in every country of the world.
The UN
Study on Violence against Children sets a target date of 2009 for universal prohibition, including in the home, an aim described by The Economist as "the latest piece of Utopian dottiness from the UN".
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, one of the earliest organised campaigns was that of the Humanitarian League, with its regular magazine The Humanitarian, which campaigned for several years for the abolition of the chastisement of young seamen in the Royal Navy, a goal partially achieved in 1906 when naval birching
Birching
Birching is a corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically applied to the recipient's bare buttocks, although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders.-Implement:...
was abandoned as a summary punishment. However, it did not manage to get the Navy to abolish caning
Caning
Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...
as a punishment, which continued at Naval training establishments until 1967.
The Howard League for Penal Reform
Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League for Penal Reform is a London-based registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. Founded in 1866 as the Howard Association, a merger with the Penal Reform League in 1921 created the Howard League for...
campaigned in the 1930s for, among many other things, the abolition of judicial corporal punishment
Judicial corporal punishment
Judicial corporal punishment refers to the infliction of corporal punishment as a result of a sentence by a court of law. The punishment can be flogging, caning, birching, whipping, or strapping...
by cat-o'-nine-tails or birching
Birching
Birching is a corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically applied to the recipient's bare buttocks, although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders.-Implement:...
. This was eventually achieved in the U.K. in 1948.
The Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment (STOPP) was set up in the U.K. in 1968 to campaign for the abolition of corporal punishment in UK schools.
STOPP was a very small pressure group that lobbied government, local authorities and other official institutions. It also investigated individual cases of corporal punishment and aided families wishing to pursue their cases through the UK and European courts.
The UK Parliament abolished corporal punishment in state schools in 1986; there is no way of knowing how much part STOPP's campaigning played in this. STOPP then wound itself up and ceased to exist, though some of the same individuals went on to form EPOCH to campaign to outlaw spanking, and spanking in the domestic setting, even by parents.
United States
An early U.S. activist against corporal punishment was Horace MannHorace Mann
Horace Mann was an American education reformer, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was...
, who in the 19th century unsuccessfully opposed its use in schools.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
there are currently several different organisations advocating the abolition of paddling in schools, including:
- The Center for Effective Discipline, based in Ohio
- (PTAVE)], based in California
- People Opposed to Paddling Students (POPS), based in Texas
- The National Youth Rights AssociationNational Youth Rights AssociationThe National Youth Rights Association is the largest youth-led civil rights organization in the United States promoting youth rights, with approximately ten thousand members...
Worldwide
An organisation called "Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment Of Children" (GITEACPOC) was set up in 2001 to campaign for the worldwide prohibition by law of all corporal punishment of children, whether by parentsCorporal punishment in the home
Domestic corporal punishment typically involves the corporal punishment of a child by a parent or guardian in the home—normally the spanking or slapping of a child with the parent's open hand, but occasionally with an implement such as a belt, slipper, cane or paddle.In many cultures,...
or schools. It seeks to monitor the legal situation in every country of the world.
The UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Study on Violence against Children sets a target date of 2009 for universal prohibition, including in the home, an aim described by The Economist as "the latest piece of Utopian dottiness from the UN".
Notable people who are anti-spanking, and known anti-spanking advocates
The following are either noted personalities who are anti-spanking, or individuals who are significantly involved within the anti-spanking movement.- Sue BradfordSue BradfordSue Bradford is a New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009.- Early life :...
(b. 1952) introduced the Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill 2005 banning parental spanking in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Jordan Riak (b. 1935) - Executive director of PTAVE - drafted the bill which banned school paddling in CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1986.
See also
- CaningCaningCaning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...
- Corporal punishmentCorporal punishmentCorporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
- Corporal punishment in the homeCorporal punishment in the homeDomestic corporal punishment typically involves the corporal punishment of a child by a parent or guardian in the home—normally the spanking or slapping of a child with the parent's open hand, but occasionally with an implement such as a belt, slipper, cane or paddle.In many cultures,...
- Judicial corporal punishmentJudicial corporal punishmentJudicial corporal punishment refers to the infliction of corporal punishment as a result of a sentence by a court of law. The punishment can be flogging, caning, birching, whipping, or strapping...
- Paddling (punishment)
- School corporal punishment
- SpankingSpankingSpanking refers to the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury. It generally involves one person striking the buttocks of another person with an open hand. When an open hand is used, spanking is referred to in some countries as...