Bangladesh MUST Outlaw Corporal Punishment

Sir Frank Peters.

If future governments are sincere about the wellbeing of the people and the nation, and are not just waiting in queue holding placards aloft that proclaim in invisible ink, “It’s now our turn” to line their own pockets through corruption; it’s essential the education system undergoes an invigorating and complete overhaul from bottom to top

Sir Frank Peters

There’s something diabolically wrong and hypocritical about praying at a Christian church, Muslim mosque, Hindu temple or, indeed, at any sacred place of worship by alleged faithful adherents to their faith; seeking blessings from Allah, then re-joining the world outside, and beating His children.

Where’s the logic? Where’s the justice? Where’s the spirituality? Where’s the humanity. Where’s the common sense?

Those who profess to be ‘teachers’ of religion, held in high esteem, and often revered by the less enlightened members of society, are seemingly the biggest offenders and hypocrites.

How is it right to beat up a child – the most vulnerable member of society – whether in the name or religion or for any reason? No religion condones corporal punishment NOT ONE, but for some strange reason their followers seem to think they do.

We talk much nowadays about fake news on the Internet, but that’s been around since Bangladesh-syle teashops first came into vogue in the holy lands and hasn’t changed since. One of the biggest – if not the biggest – errors ever made in translation was the inaccurate interpretation of the word ‘rod’ and children throughout the world have been suffering as a consequence ever since.

“Spare the rod and spoil the child” goes the adage. Solid, sound, irrefutable good advice and perfect in every aspect. The only problem is the flawed translation of the word ‘rod’. In Hebrew (the language in which the Bible was written) the word “rod” is the same word used in Psalms 23:4, ‘thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.’

The shepherd’s rod/staff was/is used to ENCOURAGE, GUIDE, and DISCIPLINE the sheep towards taking a desired direction, NOT to beat, hurt or damage them (and reduce their market value, only a fool would do that).

The correct interpretation of the proverb, therefore, should read: ‘spare GOOD GUIDANCE and spoil the child’.

Rabindranath Tagore

Celebrated local boy and Nobel Award winner, Rabindranath Tagore said; “Discipline means to teach, not to punish,” and he’s right.

While corporal punishment is tolerated and taught, society will never be violence free. Young impressionable children who attend schools and madrasahs and witness corporal punishment given to others, if not actually experience it themselves, learn violence gets the job done quickly. And while that may seemingly be true, there’s no investigation as to what damage it causes under the surface to the recipient.

The initial exposure to violence frequently comes from ‘teachers’ and Imams who, in the belief that physical punishment will be a lasting lesson, use corporal punishment on the child, often despicably cruel. Last week a seven-year-old boy in Pakistan, for example, was beaten by a seminary ‘teacher’ with a thorny stick for not memorising his lessons.

The minor received injuries on different parts of his body and serious injuries on his hands and arms that only a satanic-minded individual could deliver. The ‘teacher’ absconded after the incident and is in hiding... but the police are looking.

Parents, teachers, and caregivers often seem to forget that their main responsibility is to teach what’s right from wrong and groom children into becoming exemplary law-abiding, Allah-loving members of society and offer them care and protection en route. To teach by example, rather than lose their cool and punish them for some silly error made.

The problem with Bangladesh is that there are no laws on the statute book to offer prevention, proper guidance, and protection to children. In the minds of most villagers, teachers and Imams are considered to be educated, know what’s best for their children, and deemed to have the best interests of their children at heart. God love them, Allah will forgive them for their ignorance.

Damaged vs Broken

The majority of people are still living in the past and clinging to concepts handed down by their parents... their grandparents, and their grandparents before them. Little was known in those days about the extent of the damage corporal punishment caused. After the tears dried, that was it... mission successfully accomplished... but some tears never dry, they become cancerous, and may torment some people mentally throughout their lives. A damaged child today is a broken and much troubled adult tomorrow.

If future governments are sincere about the wellbeing of the people and the nation, and are not just waiting in queue holding placards aloft that proclaim in invisible ink, “It’s now our turn” to line their own pockets through corruption; it’s essential the education system undergoes an invigorating and complete overhaul from bottom to top.

Out goes, unqualified ‘teachers’ who were employed through the grace of their local politician, a brown envelope, or a combination of both, and in goes proper teacher academy graduates who secure the job on merit.

The rot must stop. Teacher training that promotes positive interactions with students is a must. Corporal punishment has no place ANYWHERE in modern society and leaves a lasting damaging impact on children, society, and the nation.

The need is for teachers and parents to use positive reinforcement to encourage their students and children, rather than pick up the stick for 'teaching a lesson'. The greatest undiscovered territory in the world lies under the scalp of a child. We just don’t know if we will find another Einstein or even a saint. What we do know is that they’re looking to us for guidance, correction, and encouragement and we should be generous in our giving.

So get the education system right from the beginning, the future of Bangladesh depends upon it.

Other than in medicine, getting education right is essential to benefit the nation. By getting it right, it won’t be necessary for subsequent governments to play with the annual examination process; make exams less difficult to pass, and give graduates a false assessment of their knowledge; just to score political points by claiming more passes were achieved under their watch.

Thanks to Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and their thousands of esteemed colleagues of the Anti Discrimination Movement – the new breed of freedom fighters – there’s been no greater time in the history of Bangladesh to sweep clean all the mistakes of the past and get it right, as those who died in 1971 and 2024 would wish, and to whom we owe an enormous debt. (Inna lillahe Wa inna Elahe Razeon.)

(Sir Frank Peters is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, a humanitarian, human rights activist, Honorary Member of the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters, and a foreign friend of Bangladesh. <SirFrankPeters@gmail.com>)