Caning can only lead to a vicious cycle of violence
Reports about fires in schools have caused alarm in the past few weeks. Many children are in boarding schools, often far away from home.
Parents reading about the fires have rightfully been concerned about the safety of their children. On the other hand, sentiments about children’s discipline and corporal punishment have been rife in the media and online.
The arson in schools has been blamed on indiscipline, and the public solution offered is corporal punishment.
Studies have shown that caning children has an impact on their intellectual ability and confidence and causes emotional distress. Reports of mental health problems have been linked to childhood violence.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused enormous economic strain on families. Children witnessed their parents lose their source of income. Some witnessed domestic violence, while others lost parents and loved ones to the disease.
The stress related to the pandemic affected our children as much as it affected us. The discussion about arson in schools is incomplete without the consideration of the mental stress that everyone experienced in the past year.
On top of that, children are expected to catch up with the lost school year with few breaks to rest or enjoy extracurricular activities.
Kenya, as a signatory to UN conventions, has banned corporal punishment in schools. Indeed, reports of children dying after they are beaten by parents or teachers cause public outrage from time to time.
Many of us faced the cane as children, and in all honesty, the beating had effects that remain with us today, going by the reports of societal violence in Kenya.
It’s sad, but not surprising, that a public official recently admitted that he was beaten in school. Corporal punishment has been so normalised in our society that challenging it seems like an upstream swim.
But alternatives to beating children exist. It’s possible to raise emotionally healthy children who can engage in debate and discussion when they are upset without resorting to violence. Colonial legacies that dictate that African children can only grow if they are caned should end.
It is irresponsible and lazy to suggest violence on children who are already overburdened by the pandemic’s effects as well as their education. It is an attempt to avoid meaningful and sustainable engagement on the issue.
Instead ofgovernment officials suggesting violence on children, it should support teachers positive engagement with children by investing in counselling or discussion projects so that children can process their emotions in an healthier way.
It is more important to develop programmes to help students discuss their problems with trusted adults instead of beating them.
Kenyans are concerned about violence when it occurs at home, during protests, by the police or during elections. However, it appears that we are having difficulty connecting corporal punishment to the violence we face at the hands of police or each other. Violence begets violence.
Teaching children to speak about their problems is the long-term solution to curbing mental health issues, societal violence, as well as arson, which appears to be an outlet for the thousands of children frustrated by the various circumstances.
—The writer is a communications professional
