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Summary: "Bullying is enough of a problem among students; the teachers shouldn't be doing it, too. There's nothing positive or productive about corporal punishment and it should be discouraged everywhere," said nurse and congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who will introduce the bill in Congress this week.
[22 September 2011] - America is racing to catch up with Bangladesh in legislating to abolish corporal punishment in schools; where 19 states still allow school personnel to beat students. Three out of four Americans oppose the barbaric practice. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy a nurse, who has put a heavy emphasis on public health and safety issues since joining Congress in 1997, will introduce the "Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act," in Congress this week. "There are two Americas out there for young students right now – one where they go to school knowing that they'll be guided positively by caring adults, and one where they live in constant fear of getting beaten," she said. "Bullying is enough of a problem among students; the teachers shouldn't be doing it, too. There's nothing positive or productive about corporal punishment and it should be discouraged everywhere." Over 200,000 students are victims of corporal punishment in America every year. African-American children and children with disabilities experience corporal punishment at disproportionately high rates. Many are punished for their behaviour arising out of their disabilities, such as autism or Tourette's syndrome, because many teachers fail to recognise their disabilities. Ever since the campaign to abolish corporal punishment in Bangladesh schools began Congresswoman McCarthy has been closely following its progress. Just over a year ago Sara Hossain of Dr. Kamal Hossain's law chambers filed a petition in the High Court on behalf of the social conscience organisations Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and its sister human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), advocating the abolition of corporal punishment in all schools. The barrister cited 14 separate incidents of severe canings, beatings, teachers chaining the legs of boys and girls, forcible cutting off hair, confinement and a 10-year-old boy who committed suicide following an horrific beating at school. No longer is it lawful or acceptable for a teacher to strike, verbally abuse, discriminate against, or threaten any child in a Bangladesh school. So far the law exists on paper only – it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. The law needs to be vigourously enforced by the school authorities and law enforcing agencies. No evidence exists anywhere in the world that shows corporal punishment is better than other discipline strategies for changing school behaviour, only the exact opposite. The banning of corporal punishment is common-sense. You cannot beat love, respect or knowledge into anyone, but you can succeed in beating-in hatred for all authority and bad behaviour of the worst kind that threatens all of society. Respect commands respect. Corporal punishment commands no respect. It only teaches violence and ingrains despise and hatred. The 19 shameful states where corporal punishment in schools is currently legal in America are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming. Further Information:
Owner: Sir Frank Peterspdf: http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1829/america-takes-example-from-bangladesh