Understanding corporal punishment in preschools and homes in Tanzania : implications for children's rights

Abstract

This study examined the use of corporal punishment with preschool aged children in urban homes and preschool settings in Tanzania. Despite having recently passed the Laws of the Child Act 2009, intended to protect and safeguard children from different types of abuse, including corporal punishment, many children in Tanzania are still subject to corporal punishment on an almost daily basis. However, studies have revealed that corporal punishment has detrimental effects in the holistic process of child development and school learning and therefore have recommended its prohibition. This study sought to find out the parents and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment in homes and preschool settings in Tanzania. Also, the study intended to understand from parents and teachers’ points of view factors influencing the use of corporal punishment with preschool aged children. Finally, the study analyzed the existing government policies, laws and regulations on child protection and corporal punishment in Tanzania. This study employed a triangulation of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and participant observation to collect information from the study participants. A total of six parents, three preschool teachers, three heads of schools and five education experts from the Dodoma urban district were invited to participate in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. In addition, documentary review was used as a secondary data collection method. While convenience sampling was used to select parents and teachers for interviews, purposive sampling was used to select heads of school and education experts for one-on-one interviews. Meanwhile, simple random sampling was used to select 26 parents and 21 teachers who responded to the self-administered questionnaires. The findings of the study have indicated that corporal punishment was widely and frequently used by both parents and teachers as a way of maintaining discipline among children. The majority of parents and teachers showed favorable attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment in children’s behavior modification. Also, the study revealed that the use of corporal punishment in homes and preschools in Tanzania was influenced by a number of factors. These factors ranged from cultural norms and religious beliefs, to teachers’ qualifications and parents’ levels of education, past experiences of corporal punishment, psychosocial and demographic factors and beliefs about the effectiveness of corporal punishment. Also, the study has found that in Tanzania, there has been no explicitly established legal framework that protect children from corporal punishment. Based on these findings, it was concluded and recommended that the government of Tanzania should abide fully to international and regional children’s rights protocol which she has signed and ratified. Also, the government should initiate and support public awareness and education campaigns to promote positive, non-violent methods of child-rearing. This should go hand in hand with the establishment of formal parenting education where parents and expected parents would be taught about child-centered parenting strategies. Also, parents and teachers should be urged not to continue to follow cultural norms and beliefs that are harmful to children’s well-being. Moreover, in schools, teachers should be provided with in-service training on children’s rights and alternatives to corporal punishment.