Study: One in three Finns approve of corporal punishment of children
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Although corporal punishment of children is illegal in Finland, nearly one in three Finns see nothing wrong with it if the situation is an exceptional one. One in ten feel that even kicking or using fists also qualifies as parental discipline.
The new figures indicate decreasing acceptance of physical punishments.
"Development is going in the right direction", says Heikki Sirola, researcher at the Central Union for Child Welfare in Finland, the organisation which conducted the study. He is particularly pleased at the increasing disapproval of corporal punishment among Finnish men.
The study involved interviews with 1,000 Finns aged 15 to 79. Of the respondents, 29 percent agreed with the statement that "corporal punishment was an acceptable method of raising children, at least in exceptional cases". Disagreeing with the statement were 64 percent of respondents. About two years ago 34 percent approved of corporal punishment.
The Central Union of Child Welfare hopes to that the trend will continue. "Children must have the right to live without fear of being beaten", Sirola says.
The Nordic Countries are seen as pioneers in banning physical punishment. Finland and Sweden passed laws removing a parent’s right to inflict pain on children as a punishment in 1979. Five years later Finland passed another law clarifying the meaning of the original.
Germany passed similar legislation in 2003, and several former socialist countries have passed similar measures in recent years.
The fresh study shows that men are more likely to approve of using corporal punishment than women, and older people are more accepting of the practice than young people, or those who live alone with no children.
There are also geographical differences. The greatest proportion of supporters of corporal punishment can be found in Ostrobothnia, North Karelia, Kainuu, and Finnish Lapland. Most of those who favour the rod had undergone physical punishment themselves.
Half of parents with children had sometimes resorted to hair pulling, and one third admitted to flicking a child’s fingers. Using a cane was most frequent in families with many children. Not all respondents would say if they had used these methods.
Fourteen percent of respondents said that they would not interfere if they learned that physical punishments were being used in a family they know, while 44 percent said that they would discuss the matter with the person in question, and one in four would take it up with neighbours.
Only one in ten said that they would report such incidents to child welfare authorities, and very few would call the police.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.9.2006 - TODAY |
 Study: One in three Finns approve of corporal punishment of children |
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