Ending corporal punishment of children: Time for action is now!

"Is it OK to hit a child at least once in their lifetime?"—asked a Bangladeshi parent in a post on social media. Immediately, many commented in favour of hitting children, mostly in the name of "discipline". We can never think of having a public discussion that justifies punishing any other group. Why do we accept this for children? Doesn't this reflect children's lower status in our society?
This is an opportune moment to discuss this issue with April 30 being observed as the International Day to End Corporal Punishment of Children. Corporal punishment includes any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, as well as non-physical forms of punishment that are cruel and degrading.

Corporal punishment violates children's human dignity and physical integrity and is a blatant violation of their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Around four in five children between the ages of 2 and 14 are subjected to some kind of violent discipline at homes (Hidden in Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children, UNICEF, 2014).