Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman called on parents to practice positive parenting to help their children develop their full potential and dignity.

As the lead agency mandated to protect the rights and promote the welfare of children, the DSWD strongly advocates the use of positive discipline rather than corporal punishment to teach children the principles of right and wrong and inculcate positive character qualities.

“Parents should be made aware about the harmful effects of resorting to violent forms of discipline on children. Physical or corporal punishment, emotional violence, deliberate humiliation, and degrading treatment of children make them lose their dignity and harbor deep-seated trauma and a negative perception of themselves,”  Sec.  Soliman emphasized.

To reinforce this advocacy, the DSWD and child rights organizations, Save the Children and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), partnered to send a powerful message on the importance of positive parenting.

Positive discipline respects children’s dignity and their rights to development, protection, and participation.  It helps guide their behavior and instills the key concepts of non-violence, empathy, self-respect, human rights, and respect for others. It offers long-term solutions for the child’s own self-discipline and lifelong skills.

Raising children through positive discipline not only helps them grow to be happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, but it also models the role of the family and community in ending violence against children.

The DSWD, in coordination with local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs), implements the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) and the Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities Training (ERPAT).

PES hones parents’ knowledge and skills on early childhood development, behavior management, health care, and rights and duties of parents and children.

ERPAT, on the other hand, informs and empowers fathers on their changing role as head of the family, raising and understanding the needs of children, and knowing the differences between men and women.

Studies on positive discipline

The 2011 Pulse Asia survey that revealed that 2 in 3 Filipino parents say that they practice corporal punishment to discipline children 16 years and below.

This includes spanking the bottom and other parts of the body as the most common method, followed by pinching (kurot), pulling of ears (pamimingot), and whipping with belt.

In 2005, Save the Children conducted a study in the Philippines which showed that 85 percent of the surveyed Filipino children said that they were punished at home. Of those surveyed, 82 percent said they were hit on different parts of the body.

Further, a study done by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that globally, three in 10 adults believe physical punishment is needed to raise children well. About 17 percent of children in 58 countries are subject to severe forms of physical punishment (hitting on the head, ears, or face; or hitting hard and repeatedly).

The UNICEF study said that violence has been scientifically proven to inflict lifelong costs to children and can result in poor educational attainment, poor health, unemployment, and crime later in life.

UNICEF said that in order to prevent violence against children, the community and the government should support parents and equip children with life skills; strengthen judicial, criminal, and social systems and services; and generate evidence and awareness about violence and its human and socio-economic costs, in order to change attitudes and norms.

“Teaching children about non-violence is the foundation of a just and peaceful society. When we create a culture of respect for their rights and safeguard their dignity and their voice, we can make a real difference in the lives of all children, everywhere, at all times,” said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Philippine Representative.

“Children learn and thrive when they are safe from violence within their family, and the practice of positive discipline helps parents and communities provide all children with a safe environment,” said Ned Olney, Country Director of Save the Children. ###

About Save the Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in more than 120 countries. We have been in the Philippines since 1981 responding to the critical needs of children, including in emergencies. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by protecting their rights, improving their health and education.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work please visit www.unicef.org.

Please visit UNICEF Philippines website, Facebook and Twitter.

For further information, please contact:

Carina Javier, Information Officer III, DSWD-Social Marketing Service, Tel: +632 951 7440,
Mobile: 09175424489, cajavier@dswd.gov.ph

April Sumaylo, National Media Manager, Save the Children Philippines, Tel: +632 853 2142,
Mobile: +63 9173011240, April.Sumaylo@savethechildren.org

Zafrin Chowdhury, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Philippines, Tel: +632 901 01 77,
Mobile: +63 917 867 8366, zchowdhury@unicef.org

Marge Francia, Communication Officer, UNICEF Philippines, Tel: +632 901 01 73,
Mobile: +63 917 858 9447, mfrancia@unicef.org