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Statement to Support Ban on Corporal Punishment

5 December, 2006 and reissued 2 June, 2007
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Open Letter to all Honourable Members of the Ninth Parliament, National Assembly of Guyana on the removal of corporal punishment from the Education Act .

Dear Member

We, the undersigned, believe that the beating of children in schools has no place in any society, and especially in our society where we still have to overcome a history in which institutional violence was used during slavery, indentureship and colonialism to force submission and to entrench relations of superiority and inferiority.

Corporal punishment attacks the child's body and not the problem itself. It is useless if the goal is to correct a particular behaviour.

We have only to look at the rising levels of violence in our society to understand that we are failing to resolve conflicts and anti-social behaviour at every level. We do not suggest that the physical abuse of children that masquerades as corporal punishment in our schools, homes and institutions is solely responsible for this rise in violence. It is however an important contributing factor as it teaches from a very young age that violence is an acceptable way to solve or correct problems and that people in authority have the right to impose their will or rules on those in their care through the use of violence.

Research indicates that the person administering the punishment obtains satisfaction from doing so while at the same time communicating fear, hatred and disrespect.

Ministry of Education guidelines on corporal punishment are not followed and are unlikely to be followed. A 2005 UNICEF/Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security/Red Thread Report "Voices of Children: Experiences with Violence" says:

"The 2002 Ministry of Education guidelines state that corporal punishment of children should not be used by class teachers, but only by the Head Teacher in extreme cases. However, during this survey, children reported that corporal punishment is administered more often by teachers in the classroom than by the heads in Schools."

Included in the list of the six most common reasons identified in the report for what behaviour provokes corporal punishment in schools identified is not doing school work well. 20% of children interviewed said that they receive corporal punishment for such things as not finishing work, not writing fast enough, and spelling words incorrectly. This indicates that corporal punishment is not only being used as a means of imposing discipline but to penalise children whose only 'crime' is performing below expectations in academic subjects. This group will include children who may be dyslexic, abused, or have mild physical disabilities. The use of corporal punishment in this way is all the more intolerable because by creating a psychological association between physical punishment and school work, it encourages children who are unable to satisfy their teachers to believe themselves failures and no doubt contributes significantly to the drop out rate.

The same report also states that:

"Children often mentioned being physically and emotionally hurt by the use of corporal punishment and even described being 'beaten bad' by their teachers [resulting in] swelling of hands so that it was difficult to write, leaving permanent marks on their skin, leaving them so humiliated that they could not concentrate on their work, or leaving them too afraid to ask for help."

We all know of the incidents reported in the media of school children being subjected to brutal physical violence in the classroom by their teachers. In some instances children have had their limbs broken while others have had to receive medical treatment for their injuries.

The problem is that in the context of school discipline, whatever the recommended corporal punishment or whoever administers it, it is still an act of violence against a child and open to being used both subjectively and arbitrarily.

The use of corporal punishment in schools in Guyana is a violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is in contravention of the Constitution, and we applaud and support AFC parliamentarian Chantalle Smith’s motion for the National Assembly to make a declaration to this effect and for Parliament to recommend the abolition of corporal punishment in the new Education Act.

The UN Secretary General's Study on Violence against Children suggests that there must be a turning point — an end to adult justification of violence against children, whether accepted as “tradition” or disguised as “discipline”. There can be no compromise in challenging violence against children. Children’s uniqueness — their potential and vulnerability, their dependence on adults — makes it imperative that they have more, not less, protection from violence.

Two remarks are usually made against those of us who oppose corporal punishment.

The first boils down to "If beating was good enough for me, it is good enough for my child", sometimes expressed in the boast that the speaker is the fine citizen s/he is because s/he learned discipline through corporal punishment. But the indiscipline throughout our institutions and throughout our streets is the product of women and men who suffered corporal punishment. The failures of reason and the easy recourse to violence in every situation in Guyana come from women and men who suffered corporal punishment.

The second is that we must be people who have never raised or taught children. To this our answer is "Not so." Most of us are working class and middle class mothers and fathers and some of us were and are teachers - and we practice what we preach. We recognise that there is a greater demand on the teachers to provide remedies for the dysfunctions of the society and we call on the Government to provide the necessary resources to teachers to discipline by non-violent means instead of retaining abusive powers.

We further call upon the National Assembly not to use the support for maintaining corporal punishment in schools that still exists in the society as an excuse for abdicating its clear responsibility to abolish it once and for all, and to live up to the national commitment as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Names of Persons Endorsing Statement:

1.Andaiye – Red Thread, former Teacher and acting Head Teacher
2.Karen DeSouza – Red Thread
3.Cora Belle Roberts, Red Thread, Mother, Grandmother,
4.Josephine Whitehead - Attorney at Law, Help & Shelter
5.Danuta Radzik- Help & Shelter, Women & Child Rights Advocate
6.Denise Dias – Mothers in Black
7.Beverley Harper – Alicea Foundation
8.Jade Harper – Alicea Foundation & Mothers in Black
9.Loekeshwari Ramnarace – Secondary School Student
10.Kala Seegopaul – Secretary of External Affairs National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is
11.Evelyn Hamilton – Chairperson, National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is
12.Terrence Simmons – Vice Chairperson, National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is
13.Afna Garnett-Deputy Director for the Municipal Day Care Services
14.Rev Dale Bisnauth, Minister of Religion
15.Paul Hardy, Leader of Guyana Action Party (GAP)
16.Rashleigh Jackson – Parent, former Foreign Minister, Grandparent
17.Magda Pollard – Recipient of CARICOM Triennial Award for Women
18.Savitri Balbahadur – Teacher and Educator
19.Vic Insanally – Businessman
20.Dr Frank Williams – Physician (ret.)
21.Dr. Frank Beckles - Psychiatrist
22.Maj.Gen.(rtd) Joe Singh, Guyana Citizens Initiative
23.Phillip Allsopp, Civil Engineer, former Ambassador to Brazil
24.Dr. Clive Thomas, Distinguished Professor, University of Guyana
25.Rev.Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, Exec.Secretary,Church Renewal,Justice & Partnership,World Alliance of Reformed Churches
26.Krysta Bisnauth, University Student
27.Olga Bone – Educator; Head teacher and Education Officer (ret.)
28.Agnes Jones – Educator, Coordinator of Nursery Education Program, Ministry of Education (ret.)
29.Merlene Adams - Working Mother of 8, Grandmother of 31, and Great Grandmother of 5
30.Roxanne Myers – Peace Builders Network
31.Rolinda Kirton - Spirit of Guyana Movement
32.Phyllis Carter – Mother of five,
33.Sr. Mary Noel Menezes, Historian, Sister of Mercy
34.Dr. John Fredericks, M.D.
35.Andrew & Nicky Mendes
36.Elfreida Bissember, Curator, Artist
37.Elaine Radzik – Mother and Grandmother
38.Cecil Singh, Gardener, Father
39.Jennifer Crevalle - Working Mother of two
40.Bonita Harris – Parenting Educator
41.Leila Jagdeo – Guyana Book Foundation
42.Jean La Rose, Mother, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Advocate
43.Hamala Sharma – Child Rights Advocate
44.Kojo McPherson - Youth Leader & Human Rights Advocate
45.Joel Simpson, Stacey Gomes - SASOD
46.Rohan Sagar – Musician & Peace builder,
47.Bharat Kissoon – Father
48.Abbas Mancey - Peace Builder,
49.Desmond Alli - Artist
50.Pauline Mangal - Jardine, Mother of two
51.Treena Dundas – Conflict Transformation Lecturer, University of Guyana & Spirit of Guyana
52.Kenneth Daniels – Peace Builder & Science of Spirituality
53.Keeran Persaud, Vishal Seeraj - Society for Empowerment and Holistic Advancement
54.Dr. Raquel Thomas - Mother & Forest Ecologist
55.Egbert Carter – Civil Engineer, Father
56.Vanda Radzik – Educator & Women’s Rights Advocate
57.Indra Ramadhar – Domestic Worker, Mother
58.Lisa Thompson – Social Worker, Mother
59.Sharon Ousman-Arjoon - Natural Resources Manager
60.Roxroy Bollers, Simone Mangal – Citizens United Against Sexual Offenders and Predators
61.Cynthia Massay, Rehabilitation Officer, Ptolemy Reid Centre
62.Dr. Suraiya Ismail, Mother, Nutritionist
63.Janette Bulkan, Mother, Teacher
64.Jocelyn Dow, Businesswoman
65.Anata Alva, Teacher & Mentor
66.Eusi Kwayana, Teacher, Father, Grandfather, former Member of Parliament (WPA)
67.Halima Khan, Mother, Women & Child Rights Activist
68.Joycelyn Bacchus, Mother, Women & Child Rights Activist
69.Deep Ford, Senior Economist, United Nations FAO
70.Rachel Hibbin, Mother, Social Development Administrator
71.Rodney Davis, Parent, Amerindian Leader, Social Development & Environmental Advocate
72.Rupert Roopnaraine, Parent, Writer, Politician - former Member of Parliament (WPA)
73.Shirley Melville, Mother, Indigenous Leader, former Member of Parliament (GAP)
74.Dr.Ian McDonald, Father, Writer, Corporate Executive
75.Chelsea Fung Secondary School student
76.Dominique Dias- Secondary School student
77.Kayla Reece Secondary School student
78.Nico Rodrigues Secoondary School Student
79.Javed Rahaman – Secondary School Student
80.Joshua Abdool – Secondary School Student
81.Cary MacDonald – Secondary School Student
82.Nikhil Ramkarran - Father-to-be, Attorney-at-Law, Chairperson GASCI
83.Sandra Kurtzious - Mother, Attorney-at-Law, Secretary to the Executive Council of the Lutheran Church of Guyana
84.Timothy Jonas- Father, Attorney-at-Law
85.Jaya Manickchand - Attorney-at-Law
86.Jordan Jeffrey- Secondary school student
87.Patsy Hamid – Clerk, Mother of 2
88.Darlene Hawker – PA, Mother
89.Shaleeza Saleem-Josie – Typist, Mother
90.Paula Gonsalves – Mother, Typist
91.Municka Sheoprashad – Mother, Typist
92.Donna Williams – Receptionist
93.Chandroutie Deonarine – Typist, Mother
94.Stanley Neblett – Clerk
95.Dianne Jardim – Mother of 2, Clerk
96.Savitri Kissoon – Mother of 2, Conveyancing Clerk
97.Jairam Beepat – Father of 3, Legal Clerk
98.Mohendra Arjune – Father, Legal Officer
99.Anita Calorio – Accounts Clerk
100.Arlene Ross – Mother, Accounts Clerk
101.Deborah Vieira – Clerk, Mother
102.Kamal Ramkarran – Attorney-at-Law
103.Alison Craig – Legal Clerk
104.AndreaRohlehr - McAdam – Daughter, Civil Rights Advocate
105. Alissa Trotz - Mother, University Lecturer
106. Khalleel Mohammed,Ph.D father and University lecturer in Religion.
107. Miles Fitzpatrick Father, Attorney-at-Law
108. Elizabeth Cox Insurance Executive
109. Howard Cox Insurance Executive
110. Carol Doonauth Personal Assistant
111. Irshad Ali Insurance Sales Manager;
112. Dianne Persaud Insurance Manager
113. Sandy Basdeo Insurance Manager
114. Tooladhai Singh Secretary
115. Hansraj Singh Insurance Sales Representative
116. Ramesh Persaud - Insurances Sales Representative
117. Joyce Ramcharran Insurance Sales Representative
118. Anant Rancharan Insurance Manager
119. Sherry Gopaul' Insurance Supervisor
120. Monica and Shawn Mc Grath
121. Dr David Singh
122. David Dabydeen
123. Ann Geer
124. Everychild Guyana
c/o Help & Shelter
Homestretch Avenue
Georgetown