Parents Irate Over 16 Year-Old Daughters Corporal Punishment

The parents of a 16 years student have filed a complaint over corporal punishment after their daughter was severely beaten by a teacher. The parents wish to take the case as far as possible as the beating left behind heavy bruises.

The mother stated that she picked up her daughter from the school on 15 November 2019. She didn’t find out what had happened until 2 days later. The grandfather asked her if she knew that Ploy was beaten at school.

She went to ask Ploy to show her the bruises. She cried because she felt so sorry for her daughter. At first, she didn’t know what to do. No one has hurt Ploy before, she told Thai media.

The mother went to file a report with the Sisaket Police as evidence. She explained that her daughter moved to the boarding school that specializes in sports when she was in grade 8. Ploy told her mother that on Loy Krathong Day  she had snuck out of the dorms for some food with another friend.

The coach called her in and beat her with a wooden stick. Ploy’s parents then talked with the principal who informed her that he would have a talk with the coach. Whether or not he gets punished is up to the school’s board the principal said.

The principal stated that he heard about the incident on 18 November and found out who was the teacher who beat Ploy. The teacher is currently in another province taking other students to a competition.

The teacher admitted to the corporal punishment of Ploy because she broke school rules. The principal ordered the teacher to return right away and to submit a letter explaining the incident within this week.

Ban on corporal punishment in Schools

Meanwhile, Child advocacy networks have urged the government to introduce a ban on corporal punishment of children in Thailand. To avoid inflicting long-time mental suffering and causing low self-esteem.

Naiyana Thanawattho, a child psychology expert from Save the Children, has called on the government to work on a law prohibiting corporal punishment. Such as striking children under any circumstances.

She said Thailand currently has a child protection law which bars teachers from hitting their students in schools. However, the law did not cover physical punishment against children in their own households, foster homes or child development centres.

Physical punishment not only physically injures children but also causes psychological trauma and low self-esteem which can hinder their long-term development.

Also, children who experience domestic corporal punishment tend to use violence against others as they have been taught to believe that this is an acceptable approach to addressing problems.