A Comparative Study of the Attitudes of Graduating Bachelor of Social Work Students in Barbados and Canada Towards Child Physical Punishment

Abstract

Child physical punishment (CPP) is a common form of everyday child discipline despite mounting evidence linking it to adverse childhood outcomes. Social workers throughout the world are mandated to work closely with families and children. Their attitudes towards CPP will affect how they interact with families who use CPP as a form of child discipline. In addition, social workers have an ethical duty to uphold the rights of children to be free from all forms of violence, including CPP, a promise found in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We assessed and compared the attitudes of graduating social work students towards CPP in Barbados and Canada. The findings underscore the need for the infusion of human rights education into the curriculum of all social work programs. In particular, the Convention of the Rights of the Child is a valuable instrument to enhance knowledge about human rights protections and offers an effective tool for advocating for families and children.