Thailand Ends Corporal Punishment, Ushers in New Era for Kids

[webfact]

Refrence picture courtesy of Freepik

 

Thailand took a historic step by axing all forms of corporal punishment, carving a brighter future for kids across the nation. The monumental change to Section 1567 was published in the Royal Gazette on Monday, March 24, cementing Thailand’s spot as the 68th nation worldwide to make homes, schools, and care centres free from violent discipline.

 

UNICEF Thailand hailed this as a giant leap for children’s rights, aligning perfectly with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This change serves as a sturdy reminder that a child’s wellbeing tops the list in every decision impacting them. It’s a genuine stride towards nurturing positive parenting.

 

Back in 2022, a survey by the National Statistical Office knocked us breathless. It unveiled that 54% of Thai children under 14 had faced the brunt of physical or mental punishment at home. Sure, it’s a dip from 75% in 2015, but UNICEF barely lets us off the hook, stating the ideal is zero violence against kids.

 

 

 

UNICEF Thailand expanded on the victory, saying this new law sets a precedent, but underlined the need for the government to back it with initiatives teaching non-violent discipline. Apparently, simply banning corporal punishment falls short without supporting parents with educational resources about alternatives.

 

Collaborative efforts between the government, civil society, and communities, according to UNICEF, are crucial moving forward. The end goal? To obliterate violence against kids and protect their rights robustly, one law, one community initiative at a time.

 

Despite challenges still looming, the passage of this law is a powerful nod to better child protection and brighter prospects for the youth across Thailand. It brings hope of accelerating further advances in the welfare of children nationally. In short, it’s a win worth celebrating.

 

Based on a story by The Thaiger

 

-- 2025-03-27

 

 

[Ralf001]

So they now will grow to be uncontrollable brats like western raised kids.

 

Nice move Thailand !

[hotsun]

Just now, Ralf001 said:

So they now will grow to be uncontrollable brats like western raised kids.

 

Nice move Thailand !

Dont worry. They wont enforce this

[proton]

some of them need a good thrashing though

[Gottfrid]

What?! Should they stop teaching children violence in school? Outrageous!!! Never mind, they will still be thought in home!

[Purdey]

A good beating never hurt anyone. 

 

 

 

[Hardcastle P]

Come on they cannot even persuade people to use crash helmets so what chance of this. 

 

 

[Paul Henry]

Poor PURDEY, Still living in the dark ages.You don't have to look to far in history to see the numerous cases of permanent damage done to children by parents and others who have the same mentality as him. Like capital punishment how many innocent people have been executed because the likes of Purdey thought they were guilty.I know personally of the number of times I was punished for someone elses actions.

Better to teach by GOOD example than by negative behaviour.

[digger70]

7 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

So they now will grow to be uncontrollable brats like western raised kids.

 

Nice move Thailand !

Most of them are uncontrollable already Getting away with everything at home from the parents and grandparents  Not looking after them and giving them whatever they want just to shut up  those little brats they play on that so they  try to get more and more over time .

[johnnybangkok]

4 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Most of them are uncontrollable already Getting away with everything at home from the parents and grandparents  Not looking after them and giving them whatever they want just to shut up  those little brats they play on that so they  try to get more and more over time .

Another old man bemoaning the youth of today like all old men throughout history -

 

'"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise." --Socrates

[digger70]

4 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

Another old man bemoaning the youth of today like all old men throughout history -

 

'"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise." --Socrates

 Yes ,maybe but I can't remember that we were that bad.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand took a historic step by axing all forms of corporal punishment, carving a brighter future for kids across the nation.

That's if the stricter dinosaur teachers take any notice of this.

[MalcolmB]

Spare the rod spoil the child.

[fredwiggy]

Violence teaches them to use violence and control to keep others in line, instead of talking and teaching other ways. Children who grew up being hit by their parents, and I don't mean an occasional spanking but in the face, using weapons or losing control, are extremely prone to abusing their partners or own children, and the process is repeated in the next generation. Allowing others to hit your child is despicable and cowardly. Stopping it in schools is great, as teachers have no business using force against a child. Stopping it at home is a different thing, and is much harder because parents have also been taught with violence against them. 

 

Children aren't stupid and if you start from birth, can be reasoned with and they'll know who's the boss. If they get out of control you call the police, and that threat, backed up, is usually enough to stop them. Peers teach our kids a lot, and if they see their friends getting away with things from their parents, they will surely try it with you, but again, past history is with them.

 

I rarely hit any of my children, and only a mild slap on the butt, and the only one who disrespected me was my son when he came back from living with his mom primarily for three years, and it took one time restraining him while talking to him to stop it. The others were never a problem with disrespect. They did get in trouble but learned from their mistakes and the ones who have children now do not hit them, and the kids love them and respect them also. Laziness hurts discipline, and discipline doesn't mean abuse. My parents only hit me a couple of times, and I was taught respect for others, animals and property by them, and by them talking.

[daveAustin]

Ooh, the boomers will be all over this… ‘a good old thrashing never did me no ‘arm’ etc. Never met so many messed up folk as that age group. 

If you’re a decent parent and know what you’re doing, you don’t need to bash a kid for them to turn out well rounded and respectful. It does take time and effort of course. 

The schools here are notorious for smacking the kids, even for late homework. They typically do this because the teacher is hopeless in the first place. If there’s a particularly unruly kid, expel the rascal. Of course he’ll then likely be beaten up by his father… see above. 

[Photoguy21]

1 hour ago, Paul Henry said:

Poor PURDEY, Still living in the dark ages.You don't have to look to far in history to see the numerous cases of permanent damage done to children by parents and others who have the same mentality as him. Like capital punishment how many innocent people have been executed because the likes of Purdey thought they were guilty.I know personally of the number of times I was punished for someone elses actions.

Better to teach by GOOD example than by negative behaviour.

And who is going to teach them by example? Their parents? What if they don't learn just say ok no problem?

[Don Giovanni]

So a good old clip around the earhole is no longer allowed?

 

How are they going to police/enforce this? As far as I am aware, social services in Thailand are practically non-existent!

 

The Don.

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, Don Giovanni said:

So a good old clip around the earhole is no longer allowed?

 

How are they going to police/enforce this? As far as I am aware, social services in Thailand are practically non-existent!

 

The Don.

Which is why you see daily cases of kids chasing others 5 against 1 down the street armed with whatever and kicking them after they put him down. This is learned behavior. Either by their parents or the absence of them. There has to be more care for offspring here to have more social services, because generations of parents have learned the same things. Enforcement here is slow, and punishment immediately and firing of any teachers that still use it would help.

[Don Giovanni]

5 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Which is why you see daily cases of kids chasing others 5 against 1 down the street armed with whatever and kicking them after they put him down. This is learned behavior. Either by their parents or the absence of them. There has to be more care for offspring here to have more social services, because generations of parents have learned the same things. Enforcement here is slow, and punishment immediately and firing of any teachers that still use it would help.

I personally don't agree with beating kids.

 

But how they will enforce this is another matter entirely.

 

If a tree falls in a forest and there is no-one around to see it, did it really fall?

 

The Don.

[fredwiggy]

8 hours ago, hotsun said:

Dont worry. They wont enforce this

Anyone who has a child here has to worry. Parents that use abuse to punish won't help, as they can't know what's going on in households and children are usually afraid to tell on their parents, even if abuse is happening. My daughter, 8, told me her Thai teacher hit her. That's all it took for me to go and talk with the supervisor lady. I told her no one hits my children, and if she did again, she would lose her job,meaning the teacher. Of course this would come back to the supervisor in charge, and shes a nice lady , so she talked with the teacher about my concerns. If it was a male teacher I would have spoken to him personally.

 

I pick my daughter up a lot from school and wait outside the classroom so I see a little of the last class. the same teacher would have a stick in her hand while she was teaching, and after a few times seeing this, the last time I saw her hit another child, on the head, with the stick. I again went to the supervisor and told her, and she said she would again tell the teacher. i went into the classroom that day and broke 3 sticks I found next to the teachers desk, in front of many children and a few teachers. The hitting stopped.

[dinsdale]

This crops up every now and again. Teachers still whack students and always the same ones and things don't change. Hit them or not some students will always be bad eggs. Why is a deeper sociological rabbit hole hole not necessary to go down here but they know it doesn't matter because they CANNOT FAIL. The reasons for why teachers hit students is also another rabbit hole. Some get fed up, some like it and some simply see it as discipline. Personally I cannot. I'm a foreign teacher and could face instant dismissal if a parent complained.

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, digger70 said:

Most of them are uncontrollable already Getting away with everything at home from the parents and grandparents  Not looking after them and giving them whatever they want just to shut up  those little brats they play on that so they  try to get more and more over time .

 

Most of us on this forum grew up under the threat of a "clip up the ear".... for the most part we all grew respecting our elders and the law.

 

The youth of western society these days run rampant because there is zero punishement if they screw up.

 

Bring back smacking ya kids can only be a good thing.

 

 

[bkk6060]

I think corporal punishment is good.  If used probably it is correction, not abuse.  

[SAFETY FIRST]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

My parents only hit me a couple of times

Oh, this explains a lot. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

. i went into the classroom that day and broke 3 sticks I found next to the teachers desk, in front of many children and a few teachers

Omg, a mad man. 

 

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Oh, this explains a lot. 

Tell me your theories. It amuses me that you, along with a certain few here, always feel the need to argue with me, even though I have facts to back up most of what I say and personal experiences that I don't need to lie about. Those certain few, along with you, have many others, daily arguing with others just for the sake of arguing, and with you, it's constantly trashing foreigners, lumping all of us in a group that makes all of us look like criminals.

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Omg, a mad man. 

 

Yes, mad at a teacher that thought they can hit children with sticks, an illegal move. Any man would do the same, so you thinking I'm wrong shows how you feel about hitting children.

[fredwiggy]

32 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I think corporal punishment is good.  If used probably it is correction, not abuse.  

I'm guessing you men properly, but what way is properly using corporal punishment?

[scorecard]

13 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

So they now will grow to be uncontrollable brats like western raised kids.

 

Nice move Thailand !

 

But let's see whether schools / teachers observe the ban.

 

Case in point, parent visited teacher at his daughters primary school in Chiang Mai after teacher caused a cane to severely punish the girl.

 

Parent tells the teacher (no language barrier) it's illegal to cane kids at school.

 

Teacher responds 'Yes I know that but at this school teachers are allowed to use this punishment'. 

[Paul Henry]

Have you ever heard a defendant in court say"your honour I was bought up in a loving family that corrected us without hitting us and so when I got into an arguement with this guy I beat the cr$p out of him."

No normal defence is I had a rough upbringing where my dad beat the cr$p out of me so I do the same.Its not my fault its my upbringing!