1 - The Facts on Corporal Punishment Today

The current criminal (and civil) law relating to the physical punishment of children
states: It is lawful for a parent, or person in the place of a parent to use, by way of correction,
any force towards a child in his or her care that is reasonable in the circumstances.

Corporal punishment in schools occurs when the teacher or the "adult-in-charge" purposely inflicts pain upon a child in order to stop that child's unacceptable behaviour and/or inappropriate language. It is also used to prevent the child from repeating that behaviour or offence and to set an example for others.
In the modern world, corporal punishment remains a common way of disciplining children; however its use has declined significantly since the 1950s. It has been outlawed in many countries; however, some legal systems permit parents to use mild corporal punishment on their children, although many parents do not choose to use it, or at least do so rarely. Race and gender have a significant influence on corporal punishment in the western world. School corporal punishment is banned in most western nations and in industrialized nations outside the west. All of Western Europe, most of Eastern Europe, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa have banned school corporal punishment, as have many other countries. Corporal punishment is legal in some parts of Canada. In Australia, corporal punishment is banned in all state schools but continues in private schools in a couple of states. In the United States, 23 states allow corporal punishment in schools.