By Billy Wong and Cherry Kee of the Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights
April 30 is International Spank Out Day, urging the public to stop the corporal punishment of children. But can the policies and laws of Hong Kong comply with this objective?
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child defines corporal punishment as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Corporal punishment is still the most common form of violence against children. According to data provided by End Violence Against Children, 80 per cent of children aged from two to 14 worldwide suffer corporal punishment every year.
Hong Kong’s situation remains serious. A survey conducted by Against Child Abuse from November 2023 to February 2024, involving 717 parents and 605 children aged six to 17, found around 32 per cent were physically punished by parents. Child care centres, schools, and the penal system have already enacted laws to ban such punishment.
Hong Kong abolished corporal punishment in the penal system in 1990 and Education Regulations amended in 1991 state that, “No teacher shall administer corporal punishment to a pupil.” For child care centres, regulations amended in 2000 clearly ban corporal punishment.
However, the government fails to prevent violence at home. Caregivers lacking patience, discipline and communication skills will very often escalate from an act of corporal punishment to abusive behaviour.
As well as promoting the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill, the government should learn from other progressive countries by banning all forms of corporal punishment.
As one of its Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations demands that all countries and states protect children from fear and harm caused by corporal punishment. So far, 65 states have prohibited corporal punishment in all settings including at home. Hong Kong is lagging behind in meeting the targets.
Police figures show 716 child abuse cases were reported in the first half of 2023, 359 of which involved bodily harm to children – a year-on-year increase of 29 per cent. Nearly 75 per cent of these cases were committed by family members.
Corporal punishment has a severe negative impact on children in physical, mental, social, emotional and academic terms. Children who have suffered it are more likely to develop behavioural problems, become rebellious and harbour thoughts of revenge. They feel anxious and depressed and easily become irritable.
They will come to believe that violence can resolve all disputes, causing them to develop aggressive and anti-social behaviour which may cause them to harm others at schools or in child care centres. Their self-esteem and sense of self-worth tend to be lower. Distant relationships with parents will cause them to be socially hesitant. Corporal punishment will slow down children’s cognitive development, impede their academic achievement, and contribute to school dropouts.
Ryan Cheung Yat-Ming, an educational psychologist, said corporal punishment creates a vicious cycle. Its frequent use causes a cognitive decline and an increase in behavioural problems. This might cause caregivers to increase the frequency of physical punishment. Parents hope to teach their children to be obedient and achieve better academic results. But physical punishment undermines everything a family aims to achieve.
According to a survey by Save the Children Hong Kong in 2023 of 1,008 respondents, two-thirds thought physical punishment was not the best way to discipline children, and 64 per cent supported a ban. According to the survey by Against Child Abuse, nearly 80 per cent of parents and 85 per cent of children thought corporal punishment had a negative impact. Almost 73 per cent said it should be banned completely.
The government has not held any public consultation on a possible ban, making it difficult for the public at large to express their opinions. But the surveys show support for a ban in the home is gradually increasing.
Indulgence in corporal punishment as an excuse to discipline children is likely to escalate into abusive behaviour. Society experienced a sharp rise in child abuse cases during the Covid pandemic which seriously undermined children’s basic human right to protection.
Corporal punishment creates a vicious cycle which breeds further violence. The government must take a decisive step forward by prohibiting all forms of it, including in the home where it occurs most often.
The government is currently putting forward the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill. We urge it to review all laws and policies on child protection in Hong Kong, including a ban on all forms of corporal punishment.
More resources should be allocated to promote non-violent discipline models and enhance parents’ communication skills with their children.
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