Peer-reviewed article
Violence Against Children: the Practice of Corporal Punishment in Primary Schools of Myanmar
Thwin Pa Pa, May Than Nwe, Pyone Mon Aye ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines corporal punishment in primary schools across Myanmar, documenting how physical punishment remains widespread despite the 2019 Children Rights Law prohibiting it. The research involved interviews with teachers, school staff, parents, and government officials in Mandalay to understand why corporal punishment persists. The study finds that socio-cultural beliefs treating physical punishment as normal education drive the practice. The authors recommend establishing teacher codes of conduct, human rights training, and alternative classroom management strategies to create safer learning environments.
Key points
- Corporal punishment is a common form of violence in Myanmar primary schools affecting pupils of all ages
- The 2019 Children Rights Law prohibits corporal punishment, but it remains widespread in practice
- Strong socio-cultural factors, attitudes and beliefs consider physical punishment a normal part of child education in families and schools
- The study was based on fieldwork in Mandalay including interviews with teachers, school professionals, parents, and government officials
- Proposed solutions include teacher codes of conduct, human rights and child protection training, and alternative classroom management approaches
Limitations
This study is descriptive and documents the prevalence and perspectives on corporal punishment but does not evaluate the effectiveness of any intervention to reduce it. The fieldwork was limited to Mandalay, so findings may not represent all regions of Myanmar.
Abstract
All forms of violence against children are becoming a national issue in Myanmar, framed in terms of violations of children’s rights. Corporal punishment is a common form of violence experienced by pupils at all ages, although it is most often found in primary schools. Based on the international provisions on the rights of the child, the new 2019 Children Rights Law prohibits corporal punishment. Despite this, corporal punishment and other forms of violence are still widespread in Myanmar. This can be explained by the existence of strong socio-cultural factors, attitudes and beliefs which consider physical punishment a normal part of a child’s education, both within the family and at school. The article builds on fieldwork carried out in Mandalay, including interviews with teachers and other school professionals, parents, and government officials. The article documents the reality of corporal punishment in schools from the point of view of the school professionals and parents. It analyses the main issues at stake in relation to the international and domestic human rights frameworks on the protection of children against all forms of violence. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of corporal punishment in schools, and proposes a focus on various initiatives to secure a safe learning environment for children, such as a code of conduct and ethical rules for teachers, and training in human rights and child protection as well as in alternative classroom management.