The World Health Organization has declared corporal punishment a global public health concern that causes serious harm to children’s physical and mental wellbeing, and can lead to criminal behaviour.

Lori Wathen holds a paddle printed with the word "no" to oppose the practice of corporal punishment in schools before an interim study on the subject on Oct. 21. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma ...

Did you experience corporal punishment as a child? Forty years ago only one country had banned it. Now there are 62. Why? Because we know the long-term negative effects for kids, families, and society ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Children who have had bad experiences of being smacked are more likely to have poor mental health and behavioural problems as they ...

Critics argued that corporal punishment has proved ineffective in putting pupils in check. In most cases, it resulted in injuries and avoidable deaths. They reckoned that beyond arrests, issuance of ...

Sri Lanka, April 7 -- New laws aimed at protecting children from corporal punishment and psychological harm are expected to be enacted soon. Addressing a press briefing at the Government Information ...

According to the Auditor General’s 2025 report, published in December 2025, Uganda’s mental health services remain ...

When a father in Tajikistan accused his 15-year-old son of stealing cash -- the equivalent of $60 -- he did not take him to the police or even scold him. Instead, he tied the boy's legs with a rope, ...

In Alabama, it's still legal for parents, and in some cases schools, to physically use corporal punishment. While many states have banned the practice in classrooms, Alabama law allows corporal ...

Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. While Corporal punishment has been banned in most states in the U.S. since the mid-1990s, a number still allow it in ...