"Must Hit to Obey?" Parents Who Use Physical Punishment... Awareness Stagnant Despite 'Disciplinary Rights Removal'

In January, the 'Parental Disciplinary Rights' Clause Was Removed... Perceptions Remain Unchanged
6 out of 10 Parents Say "Corporal Punishment Is Inevitable for Discipline"
Experts Say "Education on Nonviolent Discipline Methods for Parents Is Needed"

The provision on parental disciplinary rights, which was considered the basis for corporal punishment of children, has been removed, but a survey found that many parents still feel the need for corporal punishment.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jumi Lee] Four months after the deletion of the 'disciplinary authority clause' in the Civil Code, which had been misused to justify harsh corporal punishment as discipline, it has been revealed that many still believe in the necessity of corporal punishment. Since the effectiveness of the law depends on public consensus, there are calls for education and promotion of proper disciplinary methods to be conducted simultaneously.

According to the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation on the 19th of last month, 60.7% of parents responded that "corporal punishment is still necessary despite the deletion of disciplinary authority," and 50.3% agreed with "using corporal punishment for discipline." This means that more than half of the parents sympathize with the necessity of corporal punishment. It shows a significant gap between the law and public perception regarding corporal punishment of children.

The perception that corporal punishment for discipline is justified has existed for a long time. The opinion that "corporal punishment is inevitable for disciplining children" has been widely accepted, giving rise to the term "love's rod." This attitude implies that correcting a child's bad habits or behavior through corporal punishment is for the child's benefit.

The problem is that corporal punishment, done out of love for the child, can lead to abuse. When a child does not obey, one strike is given; if the child throws a tantrum, two strikes follow, and the intensity of violence gradually increases. The perpetrators who faced harsh criticism for horrific child abuse also used "disciplinary purposes" as their excuse.

The adoptive parents who abused 16-month-old Jeong-in to the point of death claimed, after inflicting organ damage, that "the hitting occurred during a conversation as a method of discipline." The aunt and uncle who caused the death of their nephew through water torture defended themselves by saying, "We put him in the bathtub as a disciplinary measure because he couldn't control his urination."

Jeong-in, who died at 16 months old due to abuse by her adoptive parents. At the time, the adoptive parents claimed it was corporal punishment as part of discipline.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Many parents were outraged by such excuses from the perpetrators. However, as previous surveys show, they believe their own corporal punishment is justified. They rationalize that some degree of corporal punishment is unavoidable for child discipline. This perception that justifies violence turns many parents into abusers.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in 2019, 76.9% of child abuse cases involved parents as perpetrators, and among them, over 95% were biological parents. This means the majority of child abuse occurs within the family by parents. This is a result of our society tolerating corporal punishment as discipline until now. This is why there is a strong call to completely eradicate corporal punishment.

Even if corporal punishment does not lead to abuse, it negatively affects children. Studies show that even mild corporal punishment in childhood significantly increases the risk of mental illnesses such as depression and panic disorder in adulthood.

According to a research team at the University of Manitoba in Canada, those who experienced corporal punishment were 59% more likely to develop alcohol dependence, 41% more likely to suffer from depression, and 24% more likely to have panic disorder as adults compared to those who did not. Considering that the corporal punishment included in the study was mild, such as spanking or firm gripping, it is clear that corporal punishment itself negatively impacts children's health. Even if corporal punishment corrects bad behavior, it signals a red flag for health.

Pediatric and adolescent specialist Oh Eun-young stated that "the term 'love's rod' is contradictory and inconsistent," expressing her opposition to corporal punishment. Photo by KBS, screenshot from the broadcast of .

The disciplinary authority, which had been maintained since the Civil Code was first established in 1958, was removed after 63 years with the aim of changing perceptions about corporal punishment. The deletion of the disciplinary authority clause does not mean punishing parents who use corporal punishment. By removing the provision that allowed guardians to "discipline" children for protection or education, it aims to shift the perception that parents have the right to physically punish their children.

For this deletion to lead not just to removal but to the eradication of corporal punishment, education on proper disciplinary methods is essential. Without knowing appropriate disciplinary methods, even parents who recognize the risks of corporal punishment may resort to it again.

Sweden, which was the first country in the world to enact a ban on corporal punishment in 1979, was able to see the law's effects by educating parents on proper parenting methods. The Swedish government established counseling programs at local parenting support centers and distributed promotional materials with expert advice to all 3.49 million households, focusing on parent education. As a result, corporal punishment at home, which was around 50% before the law, decreased to just over 10% by 2010.

Experts emphasize the importance of parent education. Kang Mijeong, head of the Rights Advocacy Department at Save the Children, said, "Many parents use corporal punishment because they believe it is the most effective way to educate children," and suggested, "Education on non-violent disciplinary methods, such as distributing disciplinary guidelines to teach children without corporal punishment, is necessary." She added, "Although the disciplinary authority was deleted in January, many parents are still unaware of this," and advised, "It would be worth considering actively promoting this during mandatory public services such as birth registration and infant health checkups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.