REPORT ON CHILD DISCIPLINE IN KENYA: A CASE OF AMBIRA IN WESTERN KENYA AND SOWETO IN NAIROBI.

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REPORT ON CHILD DISCIPLINE IN KENYA A CASE OF
AMBIRA IN WESTERN KENYA AND SOWETO IN NAIROBI.
 

• By
• ANPPCAN KENYA CHAPTER
• 2004
•  

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PURPOSE

•  The purpose of the survey was to gather useful
  information based on empirical data that will
  assist ANPPCAN Kenya Chapter to develop
  appropriate, responsive, lobby and advocacy
  strategies on pertinent issues of child abuse and
  neglect

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OBJECTIVES AS PER TERMS OF REFERNCE (TOR)

• To determine the common forms of discipline in
  Kenya and to distinguish between discipline and
  corporal punishment.
• To determine the level of awareness, response
  and/or non-response to corporal punishment of
  children.
• To establish the effects of corporal punishment
  of children.

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• To collect, collate, analyze, synthesize and use
  the information gathered to identify and or
  propose alternative discipline methods for
  parents/teachers/guardians/caregivers and
  children.
• To generate data to be used later by ANPPCAN
  Kenya Chapter in its lobby and advocacy
  activities Examine the type of relationships that
  exist among the different members of the home.

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KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS.

• What are the common forms of discipline in
  Kenya?
• What is the different between discipline and
  corporal punishment?
• What is the level of awareness, response and/or
  non-response to corporal punishment of children?
• What are the effects of corporal punishment of
  children?

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METHODOLOGY TO THE STUDY

• A combination of the following methodologies was
  used extensively in this survey so as to collect
  data The Descriptive and Case study methods were
  the main approaches for the survey.
• Descriptive research method was used to describe
  characteristics of the following groups
  children, young adults, caregivers, parents and
  other stakeholders in the communities.

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• Case study method involved reviewing in details
  the small units or groups of units with similar
  characteristics in the population of interest.

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POPULATION OF THE STUDY.

• Lower Ambira is in Ugunja Division of Siaya
  District, it has an estimated population of 3,400
  people while Soweto which is a non-formal
  settlement located off Kangundo road in Nairobi
  has an estimated population of approximately 60,
  000 people. Therefore, the total population for
  the study comprised of approximately 63,400
  people.

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• This comprises of all residents of Soweto and
  Ambira specifically all the children less than
  18 years, parents, their caregivers, church
  administrators, children courts, office of the
  president, personnel of the institutions, NGOs
  and other players in Soweto and Ambira.

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DATA COLLECTION METHODS

• Primary data was collected through direct
  interaction with the respondents so as to conduct
  face-face interviews.
• Secondary data was collected through Document
  Review.
• In order to access the level of awareness and
  effect of corporal punishment,

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• eight Focused Group Discussion (FGD) where
  conducted from all the categories of the
  respondents. i.e Parents, Teachers, Church
  leaders and so on.
• The triangulation strategy was applied
  extensively so as to obtain data that is fairly
  reliable and valid. Triangulation was used to
  collaborate data from various sources.

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FINDINGS/COMMON FORMS OF DISCIPLINE IN KENYA.

• Various forms of discipline were found. These are
  as follow in order of rating from the
  respondents Smacking (78.8), Pulling ears
  (68.6), Scolding (68.3), Cuffing (61.5),
  Forcing a child to kneel on a hard floor (45.9),
  Tapping (43.3), Forcing a child to stand in the
  sun (33.2), Requiring a child to remain
  motionless (30.3), Physical exertion (30.2),
  Pulling hair (29.6),

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• Isolating a child in a confined space (29.1),
  Burning fingers (19.7), Washing a childs mouth
  with a soap (9.1), Denying a child the use of a
  toilet (9.0).

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AND
DISCIPLINE

• Most respondents (83.9) could not differentiate
  between physical punishment (corporal punishment)
  and discipline. To them it was the same .

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LEVEL OF AWARENESS

• The majority (75.0) of the parents interviewed
  had heard of corporal punishment as a way of
  disciplining children.

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EFFECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.

• The following were cited as major effects of
  corporal punishment.
•   Physical injuries.
•   Mental injuries.
•  Psychological injuries.
• Negative effect to childrens education.
• Consequences for parents and society.

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• Negative outcomes long into adulthood
• Impaired parent-child relationship.
• Weakened ability to internalize moral values.
• Reinforces stereotypical pattern

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ATTITUDE TOWARDS PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OF
CHILDREN.

• Majority 89(62.2) of the children showed a
  positive attitude towards ending the use of
  corporal punishment to discipline them unlike
  parents 67(54) who said physical punishment
  should not be stopped.

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LEVELS OF OF INCOME

• Children are physically abused in all sorts of
  families and socio-economic groups. However, the
  children who are reported as abused are more
  likely to come from families with low income.
  This makes them to be under stress because of
  poverty. As we found out from the study.

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ADMINISTERS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT..

• From our survey the children said it was the
  mother 28(19.6) who uses Physical Punishment
  more than the father. However, the parents said
  it was the fathers 53(42.7) who use Physical
  Punishment more than the mother who was rated
  34(27.4).
• Teachers are not adequately trained in handling
  discipline methods they are underpaid and
  undervalued.

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• Their pressure often results in children being
  subjected to corporal punishment, which is meant
  to force the children to do better in exams
• The use of corporal punishment was said to be
  also triggered by other factors like overcrowded
  classrooms, untrained and overworked teachers who
  vent their inadequacy and frustrations on pupils
  .
• Moreover, many parents also ask teachers to beat
  their children as a way of discipline

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• Children are more vulnerable at particular ages
  they are more likely to be reported as physically
  abused at young age where less adult force is
  required to produce profound injury, brain damage
  or death.
• According to the parents, the children who are
  most affected by Physical Punishment are aged
  between 6 and 10 years (40.6).

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PERCEIVED CHANGES BROUGHT BY USE OF PHYSICAL
PUNISHMENT.

• the result of the survey shows that, parents who
  were spanked while growing up as children, 71.0
  of them felt that become disciplined children,
  9.7 said they were left injured, 7.3 hardened,
  7.3 lost their confidence and 4.8 did not
  change them at all.

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• The high rating (71.0) on change of discipline
  could be attributed to lack of knowledge of the
  parents to differentiate between corporal
  punishment and discipline.

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SHOULD PARENTAL PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT BE STOPPED?

• Despite the above effects of corporal punishment
  67(54) of the parents interviewed said they
  would not like Physical Punishment to be stopped.
  However, 89(62.2) of the children said they
  would like Physical Punishment stopped, 79(55.2)
  of them also said they wouldnt like to beat
  their children.

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ALTERNATIVES TO CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AND
CONCLUSION

• (Teachers)
• Student Recognition Program.
• Positive Reinforcement.
• Guidance and Counseling.
• Alternative Punishments.
• Setting Rules and Expectations.
• Teacher Training programs.

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• (Parents)
• Problem solving skills.
• Reinforce that peace begins at home.
• Feel love and compassion for yourself for all of
  the ways that youve been hurt. You will teach
  your children kindness only to the extent that
  you are truly kind.
• Address bullying behavior whenever it occurs.
  Parents sometimes bully children,

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• one sibling bullies another, and certain children
  bully others. Adults need to ensure that they
  stop bullying, and they need love to open their
  hearts to a kinder way of being. Recurrent
  victims of bullying need psychological
  intervention to increase their empowerment
  including their capacity to speak up and define
  their boundaries.
• Stop teasing and calling your children bad
  names.

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• Respecting the childs growing need. Parents and
  teachers should respect the childs growing need
  and guide them appropriately instead of punishing
  them or ignoring them.
• Modeling negotiation and problem- solving.
  Parents and other stakeholders should learn the
  use of principled negotiation to develop win-win
  solutions through identifying common interest and
  objective measures to resolve differences.

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• Learning more about normal developmental stages.
• Recognizing anger triggers and form strategies
  for managing it
• Discussion with the children.
•  Listening to the childs perspective and
  understand his/her point of view.

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CONCLUSION/LESSONS LEARNT

• The use of words such as a good smacking, tapping
  and scolding are often used instead of hitting
  or caning. They signal that hitting children is
  an approved disciplinary strategy. Child
  maltreatment professionals may have to insist on
  terms such as hitting and physically
  attacking, which condemn rather than support
  such behavior by parents,

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• just as we found it necessary to rid out terms
  that implicitly justify corporal punishment.
  People who defend the use of corporal punishment
  are not usually keen to distinguish between it
  and discipline. But light slaps and heavy
  beatings lie on the same continuum of physical
  assault.
• Physical punishment has been consistently
  demonstrated to be an ineffective and potentially
  harmful method of managing childrens behavior.

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• It places them at risk of physical injury. Its
  use is a violation of childrens rights to
  physical integrity and dignity.
• Therefore, based on the findings of this survey,
  we have found that the level of awareness of
  corporal punishment is low some parents use
  physical punishment because they do not know
  better/alternative ways of disciplining children
  and most parents do not differentiate between
  corporal punishment and discipline.

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RECOMMENDATIONS.

• Public awareness -campaigns to deliver a clear
  accurate message consistently and persistently
  that hurting children, as punishment is
  unacceptable and places them at risk of physical
  and psychological harm.
• Public education strategies- must be launched to
  increase peoples knowledge of child development,
  effective parenting, alternative positive
  discipline methods and existing support programs
  in place.

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• Law reform-the laws of Kenya must provide the
  same protection to children from physical assault
  as it gives to adults and the Government of
  Kenya must meet its obligations under the United
  Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• ANPPCAN should lobby the Government to amend the
  Education Act of 1968 and the Education (School
  Discipline) Regulations to abolish the use of
  corporal punishment in all Kenyan schools, public
  and private, and establish alternative discipline.

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• Support network- there is need to strengthen the
  existing steering committees involving parents,
  NGOs and other stakeholders to monitor the
  general welfare of children in Kenya with regard
  to discipline issues.
• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should set up reporting and
  processing centers for child abuse cases
  including physical punishment in both Ambira and
  Soweto community.

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• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should lobby the Government
  to implement a review of curriculum in teacher
  training colleges to incorporate alternative
  discipline methods to children.
• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should also support and
  create awareness on the alternatives to corporal
  punishment through different forums including
  parents meetings.

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• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should establish an office
  both in Soweto and Ambira community where reports
  of physical punishment on children could be
  reported.
• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter working with other NGOs
  should develop target Information, Education,
  and Communication (IEC) materials for awareness
  creation for the low income earners and teach
  them on alternative discipline methods.

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• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter encourage parents to
  actively engage teenagers in positive
  activities/to positively use their leisure time.
• ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should lobby the
  Government to provide services that foster
  psychological recovery and social reintegration
  of children who have suffered negative effects of
  Physical Punishment.

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• Lobby the Government-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should
  lobby the Governments to consistently
  communicate/pass message at the national,
  provincial, district and local levels to all
  parents other stakeholders, that hurting children
  and youth under the pretext of discipline is not
  an acceptable method of managing their behavior.
• Awareness and education-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter
  should lobby the ministries of education and
  health, which deliver education,

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• health and social services, to be positioned to
  raise awareness and provide specific education
  about the physical punishment of children and
  effective approaches to discipline.Risks of
  physical punishment-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter working
  with the professionals should help parents and
  caregivers understand the risks of physical
  punishment and assist them in replacing its use
  with effective alternative discipline methods.

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• Professional training-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter
  should lobby the Government to ensure
  professional training of child care workers to
  include information about childrens physical,
  psychological and social development,
  predisposing factors to physical punishment, and
  alternative positive discipline methods of
  guiding and socializing children.

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• Community education-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should
  start community education campaign to address
  stereotypic views of parents who regard the
  children as assets and predisposes them to PP.
  Such education should aim at promotion of respect
  for children and young people and the
  acknowledgement of childs rights.

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• Childrens participation forum/mechanism-ANPPCAN
  Kenya chapter should facilitate the establishment
  of a forum/mechanism where children can freely be
  allowed to air their views in matters affecting
  their welfare. i.e. on issues of physical
  punishment.

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• Steering committees-There is need for ANPPCAN
  Kenya chapter to strengthen existing steering
  committees involving parents, NGOs and other
  stakeholders to monitor the general welfare of
  children in Kenya.
• In-session workshops-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter should
  lobby the KNUT to sponsor in-session workshops to
  train current teachers on non-physically abusive
  methods of disciplining students.

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• Law enforcement officers -there is need for
  ANPPCAN Kenya chapter to train law enforcement
  officers on how to handle cases of PP because
  most of these cases are reported at their
  stations .
• Teachers' Service Commission-ANPPCAN Kenya
  chapter should lobby the Teachers' Service
  Commission to investigate thoroughly every
  incident of corporal punishment reported in the
  Kenyan media

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• and by parents and take appropriate and
  immediate disciplinary action against accused
  teachers found to have violated the regulations,
  including counseling, probation, suspension, and
  termination.
• Ministry of Education-ANPPCAN Kenya chapter
  should lobby the Ministry of Education to
  organize regular training programmes and
  strengthen guidance and counseling departments in
  schools. In addition,

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• the Ministry of Education should disseminate
  widely its policy prohibiting the use of corporal
  punishment in schools.
• ANPPCAN Kenya should initiate public awareness
  campaigns to inform all Kenyans that physical
  punishment is harmful to childrens development
  and is ineffective as discipline.

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AHSANTE SANA!