Should the law dictate how you discipline your children?

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The parents are the first concerned in the disciple of their children. The law should be just an additional element to reinforce it.[Personal details removed by Moderator]

In Norway, where I live, CP in school was banned in 1936. It is now also banned in the family.

The government has the right to protect its people, and decide that parents do not humiliate and traumatize their children, i.e. increase the risk for a mental health problem. In many countries the government has made the same rule for husbands: They don't have the permission to spank their wives.

Human rights are for both children, women and men.

It's about time corporal punishment is outlawed in Nigeria. I believe it's a parent's job to discipline a child. Firstly because they have the responsibility to do so. Secondly, because they love thier children and would not want to damage them but rather correct them.
Obviously, as many of us have experienced, many parents think that a good flogging is the only effective form of discipline. Some benifitted. Some ran away from home. Some are resentful. Some can laugh about it. But how many can remember why they were beaten? How many can say that it was well deserved? I know i can't. Nigerians are well educated as a populace. Why not take time to think of each child as an individual and look for other non corporal forms of discipline. A good talking to. No TV. Reduced pocket money. A naughty corner. A sincere apology. Fixing the problem. And of course as a last resort, once the child clearly understands why, smacking (note: smacking..not flogging!! What are they slaves?)As for teachers, well i'm sure there are some who can maintain balance when it comes to corporal punishment but surely the only way to control the well WICKED ones ,who stay up late at night thinking of new and interesting ways of torturing small children, is to come into the 21st century and ban corporal punishment in schools.

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I think we should train our children the way we want them to be in society in the future, but some parent are beating their child like a beast. And at school some of these teachers need to be thought how to treat a child, some teachers will even torture you and the administrative of the school will do nothing about it.So i will be glad not even for nigeria but as the entire Africa continent to pass such bill in paliament. Because children are not beast.[Personal details removed by Moderator]

I think caning in school is still relevant in disciplining students, it creates a sense of responsibility in the students, however i would advocate for a limit in caning because teachers sometimes cane unnecessarily.
Making laws about discipline in schools is good but in most cases it leads to students been lazy and could possibly lead to high dropout.

Government does not have the right to decide how children are disciplined at home. It has alot of issues at hand to solve than entering into families and dictating on how you discipline your children, I think this is a step too far. In my country they've just passed a bill similar to this but it has raised eyebrows amongst people whether this is at all important. Should a parent fail to correct a child for fear of being arrested by the law enforcers. I totally disagree with this!!! If parents are failing to provide care for children, then only then thats when Govt can come in, not when you are correcting a child. This is ridiculous.

Speaking as a physician who has practiced in prisons, I can attest that beating children is the most common factor causing them later to become criminals: It's child abuse, plain and simple. While I don't disagree with the need to set limits by using an occasional whack on the rump with a bare hand, this should clearly be a last resort, is only effective, if at all, with smaller children, and should never serve as justification for ever greater degrees of abuse (screaming, humiliation, threats of violence and abandonment, whippings, canings, outright beatings, etc.). It's a far better thing for parents and those who serve in their place (i.e., teachers) to learn to control their own anger and to acquire proper and effective parenting skills than for them to continue to take out their frustrations with their children's misbehavior directly on their hapless charges.

Totally agree. Having experienced both sides, I agree that corporal, punishment has no place in 21st century Lagos and indeed Nigeria. As a proud parent I could never tolerate anyone laying a finger on my children. I got the cane at school in Lagos, hated it then, and hate it now!

My parents never laid a hand on me, but it was culturally acceptable then (and sadly still is) in schools for teachers to instil discipline through the cane, and many hid behind it. Respect is earned, no matter how much you cane the poor child! The teachers I have fond memories of , were those who were able to communicate with me, and explained things through.

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Everyone knows or should know that there is a clear distinction between child abuse and discipline.
I am O.K. with government passing laws on how parents discipline their children as long as such law does not restrict parent’s right to use corporal punishment when necessary.
In developed countries or in the western world where the law practically prevent parents from discipline their children or use corporal punishment, these children often become juvenile delinquents, lack respect for elders and authorities. The same government that banned the use of corporal punishment on children will then blame the parents for not disciplining their children when these children become juvenile delinquents.

The bible says spare the rod and spoil the child, it also warns parent bout the ills of 'driving their children to resentment' and castigating them by false accusations and ill treatment. Trying to copy the british example without knowledge of the effects is typical of african politics. The social cost of this law has not been researched and will not be easy to combat once it has taken a hold of society. prevention is better than cure but punishing the majority for the ills of the few is never the answer.

Corporal Punishment is the reason behind the backwardness in Africa.Flogging has made many Nigerians Aggressive and left many without a purpose.
Many victims later in life don't understand the need to do things without been caned.Some of the corporal punishment i received as a child still triggers anger in me each time i remember.
Corporal punishment makes you a soldier and is an ancient practice in times of war which should not be permitted anymore.If the western world have recorded lower crime rates and higher level of industrialization without canning then Africa has no need to still continue canning.
Canes are for horses and Animals not Humans.....

for the African tradition, we are used to punishing our children so as to correct whatever they do. So if the Nigerian government is putting ban on punishment on children by parents then I feel they are not going alone the real African tradition.now see what is obtaining in their country as it relate to kidnapping and the rest, if parents do not come down harsh on their children nothing good will come from Nigeria in the next 20 years from now. so I oppose the ban

[Personal details removed by Moderator] Well to me personally i think thats the law should NOT dictate how you must discipline your children .Parients have the right to incalculate their children in the way thats they want them to be. If the law should dictate how you discipline your children some thing is going to happen.

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I think this is a new welcome development in the history of legislation in Nigeria. I believe, children has been subject to severe punishment in the hands of school teachers and both the parents and they suppose to be given a break. I think that causing 'grievous harm' when beating or flogging children with a cane is barbaric and should stop! there are other means to discipline little children than introducing cane on them. There are consequences of beating kids of that kind with a cane; they always have low self esteem, become afraid all the time, they might always like to do things independent of themselves without letting any one know whatever they are doing, unable to ask question in the class. I believe given them what to do (work) as a punishment is the best practice and how to instil discipline on children.

I'm writing a memoir on how conflicted I am on this one. Growing up in Kenya, I experienced some of the worst beatings both at home and in school. My father used to tie me to a tree and whip me in ways that made Kunta Kinte's ordeal in the movie "Roots" look like child's play. In high school a teacher punched me in the mouth so hard my tooth chipped.

I also happen to live in the United States, where even a gentle smack on the buttocks is considered child abuse and can result in a parent losing parental rights to the state. I have seen American children do things that make me wonder why their parents don't flog them.

But based on my childhood torture, I lean more toward supporting the ban on corporal punishment. But that alone will not do the kids any good if society doesn't come up with something to replace the fear of the cane. My suggestion is (and this might get me in trouble) that African parents need to learn more about child development. It angers me to see some of my friends try to turn their 3-year-old kids into adults. If we understood that at 3 years old children aren't developed enough to pay attention and obey, we'd be more patient.

Hug your children, tell them you love them and you'd be surprised how well they turn out.

By the way, Kenya outlawed corporal punishment in schools in 2001.

I was beaten throughout my school days. To be sincere some teachers beat pupils like animals. In fact when i was a child I always thought of becoming a teacher so that I can also beat others, especially the children of my teachers. I know a lot of friends that quitted school because of corporal punishment.I have seen beautiful young girls beaten and humiliated in class. I have seen a young girl become blind due to corporal punishment. corporal punishment is not good. it is a disgraceful act in modern society, it is an atrocity and crime against humanity. it instils fear in pupil and make them timid and not being bold.

I do agree wholly with government's intervention through the bill. Corporal punishment has been taken to the extreme by parents and guardians in Nigeria. The law should be passed and strict enforcement ensured. It has long been due. I personally suffered abuse from this liberty teachers, parents and guardians enjoy and mis-use against innocent children.

I believe that the Law should not be passed, but the art of corporal punishment should be controlled. The cane, used within reasonable force, (that is, where bruising to the child is avoided) will do more good than harm. I was caned on a number of occasions as a child and I remember that it was a reasonable deterrent.

In fact, punishment done to children is popular in China as well! Even now we have worked out some rules related to beating children and wives, but still some children even have been beated to dead! Family vilence is really very common here in China! Honestly, when I was a boy, I was always beat by my parents! Totally agreed that beating will cause the children lose their respect to their parents! But there is a saying in China" it is a touch thing even for a good officer to judge a family private affari"!

It's a difficult issue with positive arguments on both sides. If the law is passed it will most likely result in Nigerian kids being like the ASBO generation that has now developed in the UK.
However, the currents laws are open to abuse somewhat, meaning people could justify unacceptable behaviour under the guise of discipline.
I would say Nigerian kids are far better behaved than their counterparts in the UK, so let the law stay as it is for now.

I am of the opinion that public flogging in schools should be banned; but Parents should be allowed to use whatever means appropriate for corporal punishment. Generally must loving parents would be extremely careful when reprimanding their children. On the other-hand, extreme parents who go overboard we reap what they sow in their old age. Those children we pay them back flesh for flesh. But a teacher should not be allowed to decide when flogging is appropriate or not.

[Personal details removed by Moderator]
A close examination of the difference in behaviour/manners of an average British teenager and a Nigerian teenager will tell you that the Lagos State House of Assembly is playing with fire. The only law that should be passed is one that criminalizes the torture of a child in the name of chastizement (e.g. beating a child with iron chains or branding the child with hot iron). An outright ban on smacking (i.e. reasonable chastisement) is completely absurd, especially when one sees how western children have turned out without any parental encumberances.
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@NdiliMfumu:

If your statement were true, then most of Africa's 1 billion people would be criminals on the account that they were raised on a regime of reasonable chastisement. It doesn't follow that children who faced physical displine from their parents will grow up to be criminals. As far as I am concerned, poverty is what breed crimes not smacking.

Spanking or lashing is used as a form of discipline, so is yelling at or shouting at a child. Any form of discipline can be good if used correctly and bad if used wrongfully. But I personally think there should be more ways to discipline than resorting to the cain. Talking to kids and explaining why they should not do what they did wrong works better than whipping them. Whipping creates fear and sometime rebellion. I have heard some people say that words hurt more than a cain. I dont know about that but I believe discipline should be to correct, not hurt!

In as much as the intentions are very noble and it is a step in the right direction to make corporal punishment a criminal offence, I can't help but think of all the children out there on the streets of Lagos who have to struggle daily just to get something to eat.
Surely such issues are more urgent than criminalising corporal punishment? I just feel that we would all be better served if we could get the children off the streets and into schools first and then we can debate corporal punishment.

I do support the law as far as it is applicable ONLY IN SCHOOLS. I do not see the need of passing a law which will turn chhildren aginst thier parents. Nobody loves a child like the parents and i believe they have the right to mould thier own children the way they see appropriate.

Negative forms of discipline only yield resentment for the parent,teacher or guardian.People think causing grievous bodily harm is a the best way to correct a child,but i deem it "Barbaric.Corporal punishment is a blatant abuse of a child's right to a painless life.Governments should ensure that children are protected from all forms of abuse;i.e physical,psychological or sexual.

Its very simple, "SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD"

govt shld seek to legislate to punish the abuse of coporal punishment, not coporal punishment itself.

I seriously believe that if such law is passed in Nigeria, it will cause more harm than good. Nigeria is not advanced enough to enact such laws. Our children will be more corrupt than ever. There will be severe decline in Social capital thereby making things worse. Nigerian children still need to be directed which sometimes requires force and that might include caning or any other punishment depending on the punisher. Now that there is a decline in corporal punishment, children are becoming less disciplined, more corrupt and a lot of them are loosing focus compared to more than 10years ago when corporal punishment was mostly used in bringing up children.

It is wrong and unfair for you to still encourage people to post comments when you know you are not going to post them.mwsehw.

It is important to have rules that control even parents, especially in our country where a lot of children live with non-biological parents who maltreat them with physical violence and deprivation at all levels.The law needs to specify the various classes of children, related abuse and related punishments.
a parent who sends out his 3-5yr old to live with another person/relative/mallam and child is violated, should also be punished for abdicating responsibility.
Corporal punishment should be banned from all schools. specific punishment up to suspension of school license should be mated and publicizing same, No teacher should be allowed to physically punish any child, the child can be sent away from the school if all other non-physical punishment fail to yield desired results.
Relatives, who physically abuse wards should pay all medical bills, pay a fine of not less than N100k and/or imprisoned for not less than 3months with hard labour. We should also have an offenders register for all kinds of abuses, to register such persons and make it publically available.

In as much as I don't believe in child abuse or harsh punishment,I think that Nigeria government should first discipline themselves before telling parents what to do.
In what way are they helping to alleviate the suffering of an average nigerian that they now want to tell them how to run their homes.
If they want to copy developed countries they should copy everything like good roads, security,education,light and not just what suits them.
All most nigeria leaders do or thin about is how to line their pockets,so they should get off their high horse and run the country the way is should be run as we have resources to do so if not for greed and being self centered.

I believe there is a way to discipline children, and help them grow in the accurate manner, parents should be responsible for showing their children the correct way, if beating a child has a positive impact it wouldn’t be necessary for a child to repeat the wrong and have the same beating over and over if the child has “LEARNT” something. There are many ways of disciplining a child without raising a hand.

The law should not cover disciplining children, the law should rather curb parent from over beating their children.

I have not read the bill and therefore do not know what it contains. My concern though is that I hope we are not copying the West blindly. Has the government provided alternative to corporal punishment? Are there social offices in place with experienced hands and other infrastructure to handle issues of juvenile delinquencies? Otherwise we will have laws that cannot be implemented. Cetainly, I do not think the government is saying we should let our children become unruly and uncontrollable. I just hope they have thought it through carefully.

I think an outright ban of corporal punishment or the use of canes is going too far. That being said I think parents (and everyone else involved) should be ready to bear responsibility for their actions. Flogging a child to the point of ‘grievous harm’ should earn anyone (even a parent) some jail time. It is criminal.
I was flogged as a child, quite routinely actually. But nobody took a belt buckle to my head, nobody kicked me in places I shouldn’t be kicked, nobody assaulted me (apart from bullies in Secondary school, but that’s a different story). And I am grateful to these people for the interest they took in me and the time and effort they put in to make sure I turned out okay (This is going to hurt me more than it’ll hurt you,… smack! Smack!! Smack!!!) .

I am not for child abuse-but I am for corporal punishment of children. I live in Philadelphia, PA. The "Experts" who came up with this jive about coporal punishment being abuse either A. Didn't have their own kids or B. had nurses to raise their kids for them! Before corporal punishment became illegal in the USA, (minority) kids were progressing every generation after the other-now, it's like we as a people have gone backwards over 200 years in making life better for ourselves for that among many other reasons. Children tend to learn what they feel-especially small children. As a child, I was disciplined by my NEIGBORS and not only didn't it occur to me that I was abused; I'm grateful they did! Now, in America, adults feel like WE'RE being abused by CHILDREN!

Discipline should be balanced! No, the government shouldn't intervene on how parents discipline children in the home. If the Government doesn't live there in the home, they shouldn't restrict how the parents discipline. However, when it comes to reasonable protections for kids, Yes if a parent KILLS or permanently mames a child because of beating then the parents should go straight to jail. The bible used the word ROD for a reason. I think the world saw some people get out of hand with their discipline with children and now want to set rules for the whole world to not beat their child with a foreign object.
Im a teacher in US and i see the difference in behavior of children who are under these laws. African students to me are the most well behaved and respectful students i've ever seen. Yes, they use caning in the schools. In the US we do not. So now just take a small look at what's happening in the US schools versus the African Schools. When was the last time you heard of a shooting in an African school? When was the last time you heard of a teacher getting cussed out in an African school? (How frequent) So i can see this push by the Governments to put their hand on discipline in the homes and now in the schools in Africa, will slowly turn their system to one like the US, very disrespectful student populations will be on the uprise in Africa. When kids don't fear you, they can't respect you. And i mean "fear" in a manner of fearing to displease elders and teacher, and parents. Students and all children should always be working to please their parents. Period!

Lets be clear Abuse is different from Discipline. If you smack your child to the point of that child needing hospital treatment that my friend is abuse. Discipline is what you do to make sure your child knows right from wrong. Lets take care of our children they are our future