Published by: Kassandra Aman
Date Published: October 2, 2023
Time Published: 8:50 AM
“Malambing, matalino, at masayahin” was how a 7-year old kid, killed by her own father through corporal punishment, was described by her lola [1]. Just how big of a crime can a little girl commit to deserve such a thing? The answer: wanting to buy bread using her father’s spare change. A life—built with hopes, innocence, and dreams—crushed because of bread and by the hands of the supposed protector, no less. That is the gravity of the situation when it comes to how Filipinos view discipline. Be it verbal, emotional, or physical torment toward children, humans find more creative ways to showcase the failure that we are as a society and it has got to cease.
This little kid is not the only proof of the warped way of punishment in the country; countless of them are documented by the media, captured by bystanders, and even heard through the quivering pleas of the children themselves, yet we do nothing. We, collectively, grew accustomed to these cases that we have become so desensitized to the point we do not even blink an eye. These are not ways to discipline children. These are wicked ways to assert authority on people who cannot even discern what’s blue or what’s green.
Abuse is defined as the excessive use of one's authority with the intention of harming someone. In a way, this aligns with the purpose of corporal punishment: discipline a child in extreme ways that alter their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The line that separates discipline and abuse gradually becomes blurry and questionable. A research conducted by Dr. John Durrant and Ron Emsom revealed that no study ever proved that corporal punishment has a positive impact on a child’s development [2]. In fact, most cases of child abuse is justified under the pretense of discipline. The environment that should have been nurturing a child’s growth from cradle to grave is lacking the care necessary to protect them.
The concept of corporal punishment as discipline dates back from as long as 2112-2095 BCE but is still widespread as of today. Despite the multiple laws and bills like the RA 7610 and RA 9262, protecting the rights of the children, hundreds of abuses still remain as lively as the street during New Year’s Eve. These hideous acts are romanticized and glorified in more ways than one, especially online.
“Aarte n’yo naman. Kami nga dati pinapalo pa ng hanger.” and “Ginaganyan din naman ako dati pero lumaki naman ako nang maayos ah!” are just some of the common statements one might come across when scrolling through Facebook. Oftentimes, the comments are to playfully bring up “nostalgic memories”, sarcastic jabs at younger generations whenever they post a complaint on social media. However behind these “fun, tomfoolery, and sentimental” memories, a person bearing handprints, and carved, jarring words lies behind. The whole idea that the parents’ are almost required to inflict permanent damages to their children as part of their responsibility to “straighten them up” helped normalize these behaviors until today.
Reducing traumatizing experiences of children as a mere joke and glorifying them as an “inevitable part” of their childhood is never okay. A person may never think that these punishments had never affected them growing up, but the fact that they are willingly allowing the abuse to be passed from generation to generation already tells a different story.
Some scars are seen; some may heal, some may not. However, until when will the society let the wounds of justified abuse foster? We, as someone who is supposed to nest and nurse the growing children of our future, should not allow ourselves to be deluded in believing in nostalgia, and aim to disguise a green monster called 'trauma’.
REFERENCES:
[1] Locus, S.M. (2023, September 12). 7-anyos na babae, patay matapos umanong bugbugin ng sariling ama dahil sa sukli. Balitambayan GMA News. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/balitambayan/balita/881960/7-anyos-na-babae-patay-matapos-umanong-bugbugin-ng-sariling-ama-dahil-sa-sukli/story/
[2] Durrant, J.E., & Ensom, R. (2012). Physical punishment of children:lessons from 20 years of research. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 184(12), pp. 1373-1377. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.101314
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