Issues
Caning As Disciplinary Measure: Child Abuse?
Child upbringing, somehow, is an arduous task for which most parents receive the least training, whereas the society’s expectations of parents are very high.
Child development experts, as well as the scriptures, clearly underscore the imperative for discipline in the early life of a child.
“Through discipline, our children learn that some kinds of behaviour are acceptable, while others are not,’’ explains a child development expert.
Beyond question, therefore, the setting of “boundaries” for children’s behaviour helps them to learn how to behave in the wider society, especially as they are susceptible to a variety of behavioural and emotional problems.
Notwithstanding the imperative of discipline for the child, opinions differ on ways of enforcing discipline in the child.
While some believe in instant punishment for errant behaviours, others prefer the gentler approach of moderate mode of correction.
Yet another group thinks that a blend of both approaches is better.
Nevertheless, in the traditional African society, corporal punishment is an acceptable mode of correction for the child who is particularly stubborn.
“Spare the rod, spoil the child’’ is an aged-old saying that is always on the lips of most African elders. It is also scriptural.
“A quick spank can be a reminder to a child not to run into the street; not to steal or tell lies, not to play with electrical appliances or to go near a cooking stove.
“A small amount of pain saves one from incurring much greater and possibly fatal incidents,’’ says Mrs Zaina Ibrahim, a child analyst.
Often times, parents spank their children on account of perceived “wilful disobedience”, especially when such kids develop the kind of language and reasoning skills to understand danger.
These times, however, canning or spanking as a method of discipline seems to be generating controversy in certain quarters, especially among those who believe that it is out of tune with contemporary trends.
Ms Salma Ibrahim, a social welfare analyst, says she sees nothing wrong in the occasional caning of a disobedient child.
Salma , who resides in Atlanta, U.S., recalls that “I grew up in a home where my parents caned us kids as a corrective measure whenever we erred.
“People used to remark how obedient and well-mannered we were when they compared us with other kids of our age.’’
Salma insists that such a good reputation only came about because her parents did not spare the rod.
Mrs Nkechi Okoronkwo, an Abuja-based journalist, shares similar viewpoint, insisting that if a child does a wrong thing, such a child should be spanked.
“If you don’t punish the child, chances are that the errant behaviour will be repeated; the future consequences could be dire and could be to the detriment of the child, who will relate with the wider society,” she says.
Okoronkwo, however, advises that sometimes, there ought to be some moderation during discipline, so as to allow for counselling and advice, to achieve the same effect as canning.
“Child punishment should be as the circumstances demand but with some form of flexibility,” she insists.
Those opposed to corporal punishment say that there had been instances where such punishments were extreme and as such, constituted child abuse.
They note that the mass media are replete with stories of some parents and guardians who inflict severe wounds on their children and wards, all in the name of punishment.
For reasons as such extremities, Mrs Ngozi Thompson, a mother of three, says that moderation should be the underlying principle.
“Moderation is the key word; I think discipline is the main thing in bringing up a child. If spanking is what brings a child to order, so be it.
“If you don’t discipline your children, they will grow up to think that they can do anything and get away with it,’’ Ngozi argues.
Mrs Tina Brown, a lawyer, sees caning or spanking as a form of child abuse and insists that a child should not be caned for any reason.
“Spanking and caning is most certainly an abuse in my book. There are other ways to discipline a child other than caning. Caning never proves anything, be it to a child or an adult,’’ she adds.
What separates caning or spanking from child abuse, may appear to some people as a very thin line.
Mrs Nihimat Abdullahi, a child welfare expert, argues that caning or spanking as a form of discipline for a child is not an abuse, though she quickly warns against any form of extremity.
“Beating children black and blue, drawing blood, causing bruises and breaking bones, all clearly constitute abuses and they are repulsive,” she says.
Nihimat, nonetheless, explains that the spanking of children when they refuse to reason or obey instructions is conceptualised as “negative reinforcement”.
She advises parents to teach their children that “bad and unpleasant consequences follow bad behaviours or disobedience to constituted authority”.
“Instead of this all-or-nothing approach that people seem to take on these issues, a bit of moderation and proper application is what is needed.
“It is normal for parents to become impatient, frustrated and angry with errant children but anger does not mean that you should act ‘angrily’ towards your kids.
“Some children are hyperactive and pose greater challenges than others,’’ Nihimat expatiates, underscoring the need to adopt the appropriate discipline modes as the circumstances dictate.
Hajia Hauwa Sani, a childcare giver, on her part, says that a rule to remember in matters of discipline is “never to punish a child in the state of anger or emotion”.
She warns that in this state, emotions could becloud you, while proper reasoning may become impossible.
“You can easily lose control of yourself and when you do and misdirect your naked aggression towards a child, you are abusing the child. This goes for both verbal and physical reprimands. You will need to calm down completely.
“A situation of rage at the point of meting out discipline must be avoided,” Sani cautions, adding: “A terrible damage or harm can also be done and this can leave behind a life-long regret.
“It should be borne in mind at all times that beating should be the final resort that is adopted for rectifying a spoilt child,’’ she says.
Sani further advises that punishment should be carried out within reasonable and considerable limits, while specific spots should be identified for caning purposes.
“It is permissible to cane a child for the purposes of discipline, so long as the limits are not transgressed. If the limits are transgressed, even by a single stroke, such a disciplinarian will be regarded as an abuser’’.
“Punishment is never an avenue to vent meanness, aggression or frustration. Parents must know their limits and not go overboard,’’ Sani adds.
Child development experts, however, point out that there is variability in the amenability of children to corrections.
They say that while some children will just cease to do a bad thing by mere verbal caution, others will never change except they see a cane waiting for them.
“Spanking and caning varies from child to child as children are different. While some kids need spanking and caning, some do not. It all depends on individual sensitivity to correction,’’ Sani expatiates.
Narrating her personal experience as a child, Hauwa Mohammed, a civil servant, recalls that words like “hey, stop that” were enough to dissuade her from an errant behaviour whereas only a cane could stop her siblings from wrongdoing.
Mr Shola Adewunmi, a father of three, says that caning is very okay provided that the child is grown up sufficiently to appreciate the essence of punishment.
In an age where western values seem to displace old and cherished traditional values, especially in the African context, child discipline has assumed a strange dimension.
“In the good old days, child discipline was every adult’s business. If I saw a child exhibiting an errant behavior, I didn’t have to wait for the parents before disciplining such a child.
“Child discipline was everybody’s business and we all accepted it as a norm in our traditional societies,” says Mr Fidelis Igein, a septuagenarian grandfather.
A mother, Miss Anna Isiaku, says that an admixture of traditional and western values in matters of discipline should be adopted by parents.
“Let’s take the good sides of both cultures and adopt them. To label caning as an abuse is alien to African societies as far as I am concerned. I will always cane my children as our parents did to us but with some restraints however.’’
Isiaku’s argument is that most children tend to fear the cane more than verbal reprimand, stressing the need for parents and guardians to always draw the line between cruelty and discipline.
There had been instances where parents harassed or arrested their children’s teachers in schools for ever touching them with a cane, even when such spankings were light.
Okoronkwo says that such an attitude by parents is not right.
“There are milder ways to register genuine complaints with the school authorities rather than going to harass and arrest the teachers on account of the children’s misdemeanors,’’ she says.
Some child development analysts point out that it is increasingly difficult and almost impossible for parents in the Western world to effectively discipline their children, thus leading to more deviant behaviours among their youth.
In those countries, they note, caning or spanking of an errant child can land you in jail or even earn you a fine.
The legal rights of the child in the Western nations, some African conservatives insist, are largely responsible for some wayward behaviours of youths and adults in those lands.
Nevertheless, there seems to be a consensus that discipline is imperative for the Nigerian child but that moderation must be the key word, to ensure sanity in the society.
Koro-Mohammed writes for the News Agency of Nigeria.
Hauwa Koro-Mohammed
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
