{"id":27338,"date":"2025-02-20T10:40:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T10:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/?p=27338"},"modified":"2025-02-20T10:50:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T10:50:24","slug":"corppunimpactonprofessionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/corppunimpactonprofessionals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of Corporal Punishment on Working Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Growing up, most of us in India were taught that being hit or scolded by teachers and parents was for our own good. Proverbs like \"Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante\" (Stubborn people only learn through harsh measures) and \u201cEk thappad se kya farak padta hain\u201d (One slap won\u2019t impact anyone) reinforced the idea that harsh measures were necessary for discipline. But how much of this belief holds true today?<\/p>

A 2018 study by Agrasar revealed that 80% of school-going children in India face daily corporal punishment, with 90% of parents approving it.[i]<\/a> As adults, many repeat this cycle with their own children. To understand its long-term impact and gain insights, we spoke to working professionals aged 25\u201340 about their experiences.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Hidden Scars of Childhood Punishment<\/em><\/p>

\u201cI freeze in the presence of authority. Fear from school days\u2014sweaty hands, anxious
dreams\u2014still haunts me. I struggle with public speaking and wish someone had helped
me overcome this fear earlier.\u201d<\/p>

- Ashutosh, Fashion Designer<\/p>

\u201cI grew up scared to talk to my parents, fearing punishment. Even now, I avoid admitting
mistakes and struggle to connect with others, afraid of being judged.\u201d<\/p>

- Ramit, Entrepreneur<\/p>

\u201cI grew up in fear\u2014doing things I didn\u2019t want to, just to avoid punishment. I learned to
lie. The anger from those moments stayed with me, driving me to take up martial arts so
I\u2019d never feel powerless again\u201d<\/p>

- Abhishek, Author and Consultant<\/p>

Out of 32 respondents, 25 reported that childhood punishment profoundly and
negatively impacted their personalities. Common effects included lying or hiding things,
struggling to trust or connect with others, stage fright, avoiding mistakes at work,
hesitating to express feelings, and seeking constant validation. While punishment is
often justified as a way to teach discipline, these conversations revealed a stark truth: it
doesn\u2019t instill discipline but leaves lasting scars that overshadow its intended lessons.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Moments That Stay<\/em><\/p>

\u201cMy Grade 6 teacher slapped me and made me kneel for hours. I still feel sad and angry
thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>

Sarthak, Consultant with Big 4<\/p>

\u201cThe sting of that first slap in Grade 4 and the wooden ruler on my knuckles in Grade 10\u2014those moments stay with you.\u201d<\/p>

Tuhina, Educator<\/p>

Most interviewees vividly recalled when and why they were punished by teachers or
parents. I still remember my math teacher in Grades 4\u20136 spanking me for asking questions I didn\u2019t understand, which instilled a lasting fear of numbers\u2014a struggle I face at work even today. Many shared that revisiting these memories evokes anger and
sadness.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Discipline or Damage?<\/em><\/p>

\u201cPunishment didn\u2019t help me. As an act of rebellion, I didn\u2019t take biology in Grade 12.
Now, I constantly seek fulfillment through helping others.\u201d<\/p>

Prayas, PhD Student<\/p>

Parents and teachers often believe punishment instills discipline and improves performance. However, all 32 respondents disagreed, stating it harmed their well-being and decision-making.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Breaking the Cycle<\/em><\/p>

\u201cBreaking the patterns of the past is challenging, but it\u2019s our responsibility to unlearn what we once endured.\u201d<\/p>

Rashmi, Educator and Parent<\/p>

\u201cDespite my military background, I would never resort to physical punishment with my children.\u201d<\/p>

Akash, Naval Officer<\/p>

Something that struck a chord with me was that everyone interviewed echoed the same
thought: the importance of empowering individuals to completely eliminate corporal
punishment. While Section 17 of the Indian Right to Education Act imposes an absolute
ban on corporal punishment in [most] schools, our analysis indicates that enforcement remains
inconsistent across India<\/span>.<\/a> Some states have explicitly prohibited it, while others still have gaps in policy and implementation. Limited awareness, ineffective monitoring, and weak enforcement allow corporal punishment to persist in many schools. We must break this cycle\u2014not just through laws but by shifting mindsets and embracing non-violent approaches to discipline. If we reject humiliation and violence for ourselves, how can we accept it for our children?<\/p>

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[i]<\/a> https:\/\/agrasar.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Choking-Childhood.pdf<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Guest author<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>
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\n \"Nidhi-picture\"\n \t<\/div>\n\t
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Nidhi<\/span>\u00a0is a changemaker in the social impact and education space, driven by a passion for creating meaningful change through creative and collaborative solutions. A Teach for India alumna, she has worked with government programs and non-profits across India, impacting lakhs of students and thousands of teachers. She previously led Social-Emotional Learning at Heritage International Xperiential Schools, where she designed and implemented a curriculum focused on students' holistic well-being. Currently, at Agrasar, she is spearheading efforts to eliminate corporal punishment in schools.<\/div>
<\/div>
Nidhi's email id<\/b>:\u00a0nidhi<\/span>.ubuntu@gmail.com<\/a><\/span><\/div>
<\/div>
Linkedin<\/b>\u00a0:\u00a0https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nidhi<\/span>-lamba-46a262a4\/<\/a><\/span><\/div>

 <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/section>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up, most of us in India were taught that being hit or scolded by teachers and parents was for our own good. Proverbs like “Laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahi maante” (Stubborn people only learn through harsh measures) and \u201cEk thappad se kya farak padta hain\u201d (One slap won\u2019t impact anyone) reinforced the idea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,30,116,33,29,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa","category-articles","category-english","category-global-progress","category-news","category-middle-east"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27338"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27350,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27338\/revisions\/27350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}