It must be so confusing for a child to be told by his or her Prime Minister in national news broadcasts that they are "remarkably special"... "the future of Bangladesh"... and then attends school the following day and gets beaten by an ignorant 'teacher' or Imam as if they were worthless

If the children are the future of Bangladesh - and inarguably they are - one would think they would be shown much greater respect and appreciation, as one would give any priceless asset or national treasure.

It's been over a half-century now since Bangladesh became independent. During that time there's been many good and many not so good developments.... a two-steps forward and one-step back dance routine.

Prime Minister after Prime Minister have taken to the podium and declared for the nation to hear that "children are the future of Bangladesh" ad nauseam. The soundbite never fails to be greeted by applause and endear the speaker to the vast number of doting parents to secure their approval and votes.

All well and good, we know how the game works, but the rhetoric lacks sincerity if there's no follow-up action. And there's been no follow-up action.

Bangladesh has been lacking in sincerity in that regard and a countless number of children throughout the nation now are wounded and damaged mentally, or physically, or both. Children who have suffered - are suffering - because they were not given proper protection from the evils of corporal punishment in their homes, schools, and madrasahs and that is extremely sad. A damaged child today, is a broken adult of tomorrow.

It must be so confusing for a child to be told by his or her Prime Minister in national news broadcasts that they are "remarkably special"... "the future of Bangladesh"... and then attends school the following day and gets beaten by an ignorant 'teacher' or Imam as if they were worthless. The child doesn't have to excel at maths to know it just doesn't add up, it's hypocritical, and wrong.

How is it possible for a child to benefit from being kicked, grabbed, shoved, spat upon, pinched, having their mouths taped shut, having their hair pulled, their heads shaven, their ears tugged, being pinched, belittled, mocked, embarrassed, sworn at, cursed at, having their dignity robbed from them, being locked in a cupboard, making them look foolish in front of their peers or breaking sticks upon their young tender hands, backs, and legs or slapping them in the face? Please highlight the benefits in yellow for me because I can't see any.

Human dignity and respect

Is that showing respect for a fellow human being? I doubt it. Is that behaviour conducive to good learning? I doubt it. Does it inspire a child to attend school regularly? I doubt it. Does it enthuse a child to love school and further their academic learning? I doubt it.

Just because children are small, doesn't make them less human, less sensitive to hurt and pain.

If the 'teachers' and Imams are ignorant and uneducated in proper teaching practices (and many are) you would at least expect the spirit of Allah to penetrate their conscience occasionally and tell them what they're doing is wrong, and prevent the misdeed from happening. Seemingly, not everyone has a conscience.

Discipline is not hitting, kicking, cursing at children or any of the other derivatives. Discipline is pure... it's positive... it's another form of love. It's meant to teach, not punish, induce pain, or damage.

Corporal punishment, on the other hand is despicable and the very essence of cruelty. When adults hit a child they are broadcasting their own ignorance and should be removed from their position of influence.

The World Health Organization classifies corporal punishment as a "violation of children's rights to respect for physical integrity and human dignity, health, development, education and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

A year following my first anti corporal punishment report in 2010, our own Supreme Court Justices Imman Ali and Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif attempted to bring sanity into Bangladesh education system to rid Bangladesh of the horrific damaging scourge declaring it to be: "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child's fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom."

Evil lurks in school corridors

While their efforts produced good results in some reputable schools and madrassas, the results were way short of what is needed. Evil still lurks within the corridors of schools and won't be completely eradicated until there's a total ban in place and those responsible for the horrors are removed.

Proponents of corporal punishment argue that inflicting some level of physical pain upon a child deters misbehaviour and helps instill discipline. However, we know corporal punishment is NOT discipline and extensive research demonstrates that the practice has potentially long-lasting negative effects on student's overall wellbeing.

Studies show that schools that have used corporal punishment have not been as successful at correcting unwanted behavior as schools that do not use it. Students who have been exposed to corporal punishment are more likely to exhibit aggression, anxiety, and depression.

In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a ban on corporal punishment in school settings and for it to be replaced with practices that better support student behavior.

That same year, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona penned a letter to administrators and policymakers calling for the ban of corporal punishment in education settings.

"Unfortunately, some schools continue to put the mental and physical well-being of students at risk by implementing the practice of corporal punishment," said Cardona. "Corporal punishment can lead to serious physical pain and injury. It is also associated with higher rates of mental health issues."

Believe it or not, 34 years ago, (yes, 34 year ago) in August 1990 Bangladesh became one of the first two states in the region to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), but where's the change?

CRC is the most universally accepted human rights instrument, ratified by every country in the world except two (the USA and Somalia). The Convention incorporates the full range of human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights - of children into one single document.

Perhaps when the dust has settled somewhat from the recent student uprising and its hands are not so full, the Interim Government will see fit to honour the nation's headline-grabbing promise it boasted to the world in 1990 and ban corporal punishment for the benefit of the nation.

Sir Frank Peters is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, an award-winning writer, humanitarian, human rights activist Honorary Member of the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters and a foreign friend of Bangladesh.