NationStates Jolt Archive

Citing a need for the protection of the health, dignity, and overall welfare of children, criminals, and soldiers everywhere, we have submitted the following proposal, known as "Spare The Rod, For The World":


Category: Human Rights
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Azzion

Description: This measure recognizes that:

- Corporal punishment (CP) is defined as striking, whipping, or spanking with the hand or an object, such as a belt, a whip, or a paddle, for the sake of discipline or moral correction.

- CP is detrimental to the development of a child. According to studies, children raised with CP were more likely to: Be bullies or targets of such, engage in unprotected sexual activity at a young age, engage in illegal activity at a young age, and be violent toward parents.

- CP is not necessary for a good "spiritual" and "loving" upbringing of a child, as members of faiths that endorse CP have raised such children "lovingly" and "spiritually" without employing CP.

- CP is ineffective in the educational environment, as students with chronic misbehavior problems receive infliction upon infliction, with no correction occuring.

- CP is ineffective in criminal corrections, for inmates inflicted with such are more likely to attack guards and officers, as well as fellow inmates, as opposed to inmates who are not disciplined with CP.

- CP is ineffective in the military environment, regardless of rank, as persons of military stature inflicted with CP are more likely to rescind duty as opposed to persons who are not inflicted with CP.

- CP is dangerous to one's health, causing bruising, scarring, bleeding, and in severe cases, broken bones, that in rare cases can not be healed without risky medical procedures.

This measure proposes to:

a.) Outlaw any and all forms of corporal punishment in an educational environment, regardless of whether the school is public, parochial, or otherwise private.

b.) Outlaw any and all forms of corporal punishment in the home.

c.) Outlaw any and all forms of corporal punishment in corrections systems, for both adults and juveniles.

d.) Outlaw any and all forms of corporal punishment in the military, for recruits, officers, etc.

e.) Give governments the right to determine the severity of a sentence for an offense, should corporal punishment be inflicted by a mother, father, teacher, principal, guard, police officer, drill sergeant, colonel, admiral, etc.

Pain is one of the human body's most effective learning mechanisms. We of Frisbeeteria trust our parents to know how to use it in effective moderation when necessary to discipline their children. If they exceed those effective limits, we have plenty of other laws against abuse and assault to deal with them.

Against.

There is no general consensus in Ecopoeia on the use of controlled physical force (as distinguished from clear physical abuse) as a means of disciplining children. The Ecopoeian state, such as it is, has elected not to legislate on the matter. Instead, Ecopoeia's communities and townships are free to codify laws on the matter as they wish. Smack a child in the city of Burroughs and you'll find yourself in trouble; do the same in Bradbury Point and no one will bat an eyelid.

Varia Yefremova
Speaker to the UN

When you can come up with an alternative method of keeping our nations children in order whilst we have them working down t'pit fer t'coal, then mebbe we'd think about it.

we strongly oppose this.

Apart from, and in addition to any philosophical disagreements we have with this proposal, we would also like to object to the language. "Outlaw any and all forms of corporal punishment" is too harsh, too all-inclusive. An officer brushes a hand against a soldier whilst saluting, soldier claims 'I was struck!" An unruly prisoner is pushed back in line by a guard and files suit against the justice system for violation of UN Law. A teacher in a crowded hallway brushes against students, one of whom shouts, "he stuck me with his belt!" Do we deny prisons the opportunity to perform riot control in the event of serious problems? Since the prisoners have broken discipline, would guards be refused permission to attempt to quell the riot with clubs? Under this law, they would be permitted to shoot the prisoners with guns, but would be denied the chance to use less lethal methods.All of these, while obviously failing to meet the common-sense aspect of this law, are nonetheless violations of the letter of the law.

The intent is good, assuming you agree with the initial premise. However, it fails in execution.

Against, for most reasons already mentioned plus I'm sure there is already a national issue for this any-way ...

Although this issue can only be resolved at national level, Hyphaeria already had this law in place.

One makes mistakes against society, their punishment has resulted in physical brutality, what does it teach them though? It pretty much demonstrates that those who become the abused will later become the abusive. There are absolutely no positive morals into encouraging or even performing CP for that matter. If one performs illegal actions, instead of physical punishment, Hyphaeria already takes action into committing law breakers to well-developed isolation facilities that keep them from society and civilisation. This does sound like the normal description of a prison, but we influence a less negative image and impact onto all in high hopes they can self-rehabilitate as in result they can become more independant from everyone and everything.

As for the perceptive of youth and children, those who perform such immoralising work onto them will find themselves dishonoured and exiled from civilisation for a certain amount of time set by the supreme court. And also to note the fact that if younger generations become under the control of physical abuse, how would they image our society?

Other than this, the necessary smack on the hand for un-disciplined children has not had any problems.


If this was infact for international level, i would vote yes on this bill, but due to it's profile not being covered by any level higher than national, I must say no.