New report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that corporal punishment remains alarmingly widespread and causes significant harm to children’s health and development.
 
Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion children, aged 0–18 years, are subjected to corporal (physical) punishment in their homes every year. 
 
According to WHO, data across 58 countries show that 17 per cent of children who experienced corporal punishment in the past month were subjected to its most severe forms, including being hit on the head, face, or ears, or being hit hard and repeatedly.
 
The report stated that the use of corporal punishment in homes varies widely across countries. 
 
In schools, the practice is equally widespread. Across Africa and Central America, around 70 per cent of children experience corporal punishment during their school years, compared with about 25 per cent in the Western Pacific region.
 
It revealed that among children, aged 2 to 14 years, parent and caregiver self-reported rates of corporal punishment in the past month ranged from 30 per cent in Kazakhstan and 32 per cent in Ukraine, to 63 per cent in Serbia, 64 per cent in Sierra Leone, and 77 per cent in Togo.
 
According to the Director of the WHO Department for Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention, Etienne Krug, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that corporal punishment carries multiple risks to the health of children.
 
Krug stated that corporal punishment offers no benefits to the behaviour, development, or well-being of children and no benefit to parents or societies either. 
 
He said it was time to end the harmful practice to ensure that children thrived at home and at school.   
 
The report entitled ‘Corporal punishment of children: The public health impact ‘ highlights that children most at risk of experiencing corporal punishment are those with a disability; those whose parents experienced corporal punishment themselves; and those whose parents struggle with substance use, depression, or other mental health conditions. Broader societal factors such as poverty, racism, and discrimination further increase the risk of corporal punishment of children.

The health consequences of child corporal punishment are profound and far-reaching. Beyond immediate injuries, the practice triggers harmful biological responses, including heightened stress hormone reactivity and changes in brain structure and function that can undermine healthy development. 
 
WHO stressed that legal measures must be paired with public awareness campaigns and direct support for parents, caregivers, and teachers to promote positive, non-violent forms of discipline. Corporal punishment of children: the public health impact provides additional arguments for expanding the spectrum of interventions that should be considered to eliminate this form of violence against children.