A slap in the face never hurt a child. Right?

Educational myth 15:

That's what the experts say:

"A lot of abuse is caused by excessive demands. The cause is often excessive demands in parenting. Parents don't know how to deal with their child when it cries or is naughty, so they hit it. A slap in the face is usually the first act of violence against a child, but it often doesn't stop there. There are parents who want to make their child compliant by means of beatings and fear. This is often based on ideological convictions, but sometimes also on pathological personality structures. It is very difficult to make such parents realise that this is not possible. One of our key tasks is to assess whether it is possible for us to work with the parents to find a way to protect the child."

«In Swiss parenting culture, mild forms of violence such as slapping are used more frequently. In contrast to Germany, parental corporal punishment is not explicitly prohibited in Switzerland, as the child's right to a non-violent upbringing is not explicitly and clearly laid down in law. Violence is still considered a normal part of parenting here. In our survey, only one in three young people stated that they had not experienced any form of violence as a child in the family. A large proportion of the population still agrees with the statement "A slap in the face never hurt anyone».
A slap in the face does not leave a child unscathed. It destroys a relationship of trust: trust in the parents, but also in the world as a safe place. Of course, it makes a difference whether a child is hit regularly or rarely and whether it is a case of corporal punishment or severe violence. If the child has experienced severe violence, for example, it is more likely that they will become violent themselves later on. But we also see clear differences between the comparison groups «no violence experienced» and «corporal punishment experienced» - the famous slap in the face.
Research clearly shows that any form of physical violence causes harm. What works instead is: talk, talk, talk. Parenting is not something that happens overnight, it is a process. I see this with my own daughter: at some point you suddenly realise, beaming with joy, that something has worked. You don't gain respect by beating someone up, you destroy their trust in your own authority. Trying to do good by doing bad is a contradiction that children can't resolve."

All parenting myths at a glance:

Read the answers to 15 parenting myths here:

• Gute Noten sollte man mit Geld belohnen
• Handy-Entzug als Strafe ist sinnvoll
• Ein Kind mit viel Freiheiten wird verantwortungsvoller
• Einzelkinder sind verwöhnt und können nicht teilen
• Raufende Kinder werden kriminell
• Wer mit seinen Kindern streitet macht sie streitsüchtig
• Kindern sollte man nichts verbieten, da sie sonst zu kleinen Rebellen werden
• Mit viel Spielzeug fühlt sich ein Kind geliebt
• Scheidungskinder sind beziehungsunfähig
• Trotzende Kinder brauchen härtere Erziehung
• 13-Jährige kann man nicht mehr erziehen
• Als Eltern sollte man auch beste Freunde seiner Kinder sein
• Ab der 1. Klasse sollte ein Kind ein Smartphone erhalten
• Früh geförderte Kinder werden erfolgreicher

Diese Kampagne ist in Zusammenarbeit mit Jung von Matt entstanden.

More educational knowledge on the subject of corporal punishment:

• 10 questions about development and psychology
  How important are siblings? What can I do if a child often hits or snaps? Experts answer these and other questions in our dossier on development and psychology.
• Mr Staubli, how do you deal with child abuse?
  Georg Staubli is head of the emergency ward at Zurich Children's Hospital and also head of the child protection group there. The paediatrician explains what serious cases of child abuse trigger in him and why corporal punishment still exists as an educational measure.

• Verbal violence - when words hurt children's souls
  Threats, blackmail, humiliation - it's not just slaps in the face that can hurt children in everyday family life. Psychological violence is the most common form of violence against minors, says psychologist and curative paedagogue Franz Ziegler.

• Slapping in education is still too normal in Switzerland
  Criminologist Dirk Baier surveyed more than 8,000 pupils in Switzerland about violence in education for a study - and came to some worrying conclusions.
• When mothers strike
  Attacks on partners, violence against one's own children: such acts are also committed by women - but are highly taboo. Increased discussion would help the victims and would be important for prevention. This is because maternal violence often has different causes than paternal violence.