 | ||
|
|
|
| ||
| ||
        |
||
 | ||
|
     |
| |
Understanding Child Discipline and Child Abuse in the Filipino Context: Comparing Perspectives of Parents, Children, Professionals and Community Leaders, 2005
This study aimed to explore the notions, beliefs, and behaviors of a group of Filipinos toward child discipline. It sought to analyze the important link between parental discipline and abusive acts against children. The study was done in six (6) communities in the Philippines served by Plan International. Respondents were composed of 793 (N=793)parents, children and adolescents, teachers, professionals and local leaders. There was an adequate understanding of the purpose and intent of child discipline. Notions of what constitute an acceptable or abusive behavior were what we would expect from the general population in the Philippines today. Among the various types of disciplinary acts; counseling, beating/spanking and withdrawing/reducing school allowance were considered most acceptable. Hanging and burning/scalding were regarded as the most unacceptable or abusive disciplinary behaviors. However, despite the adequate levels of awareness, there were few formal reports of child abuse cases. There is a need to work further on the true understanding of what is "children's rights". The finding of this study indicated a superficial understanding of children's rights among the groups of teachers. The study suggests that there are indeed some issues that need to be addressed with regard to corporal punishment. Although there was adequate understanding of abusive disciplinary behaviours, many parents and even teachers were still prone to use severe physical and psychological means of disciplining children. The children respondents had more negative answers to the same questions that may be indicative of the way they have been disciplined by their parents/adults. 
|