Smart ways to raise children

Child abuse is a global social problem, and inadequate parenting and discipline skills of parents or caregivers is one of the major risk factors. To this day, corporal punishment of children is still common in families. Not only does corporal punishment fail to control children’s bad behaviour, it can easily escalate to violent levels unwittingly, damaging children's physical and psychological development. Studies show that children who have been abused and beaten are more likely to use violence to release stress and deal with problems, and are more likely to become abusers when they grow up. We recommend that parents or caregivers replace corporal punishment with positive parenting. This includes:

1) Talking instead of beating, guiding boundaries of behaviour and explaining reasons;
2) Listening to children and exploring the reasons behind their bad behaviour;
3) Helping children identify feelings and learn to manage emotions;
4) Reinforcing good behaviour with praise and rewards;
5) Parents or caregivers lead by example and set a good model;
6) Parents or caregivers also take care of their own physical and psychological needs.

“Love and patience are the best ways to raise children, and every child abuse incident can be prevented.”