Corporal punishment carries 'multiple risks' to children’s health, says WHO

Children exposed to corporal punishment are more likely to have anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and emotional instability, which continue into adulthood and can lead to alcohol and drug use, violent behaviour and suicide. File photo: Christine Schneider/zefa/Corbis

The World Health Organization has declared corporal punishment a global public health concern that causes serious harm to children’s physical and mental wellbeing, and can lead to criminal behaviour.

A new report found that across 49 low- and middle-income countries, children exposed to corporal punishment – defined as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light” – were 24% less likely to be developmentally on track than children who were not.