u/ChemicalCandles

>!Title: 'Trans youth denied hormone therapy almost twice as likely to attempt suicide, survey finds'.!<

Dear parents/carers:

At [SCHOOL], we want all of our pupils/students to thrive. The success of every child depends on a high standard of parenting as well as an excellent school environment. As [CHILD'S NAME] enters [YEAR/GRADE], we would like to inform you about the effects of corporal punishment (commonly called '[REGIONAL SLANG]') on children.

This letter has been sent to the parents of every pupil/student in [YEAR/GRADE] {that has not already received this letter} and does not imply that we think you are using corporal punishment.

Corporal punishment refers to any punishment that uses physical action, no matter how light, that is meant to be painful or uncomfortable. It can involve, for example, hitting with a hand or object (such as [REGIONAL SLANG]), punching, kicking, shaking and burning. It can also involve forcing a child to stay in uncomfortable positions or making them ingest something.

There has been decades of research on the effects of corporal punishment on children. This research shows that corporal punishment does not improve children's behaviour. In fact, it is harmful to their health. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), corporal punishment of children is linked to:

• Problematic changes in the brain and high stress
• Damaged relationships between parents and children
• Long-term mental health problems, such as problematic drug use, depression, anxiety and behaviour problems.
• Difficulty in controlling emotions or solving conflicts
• More aggressive behaviour during childhood and antisocial behaviour later
• Weaker morals
• Increased risk of cancer, obesity, arthritis, migraines and heart disease due to increased stress
• Finding other violence more acceptable and being more likely to be violent

There is some evidence that some of these effects get worse the more often corporal punishment happens. However, there is no frequency of corporal punishment that is safe.

For these reasons, [SCHOOL] {if relevant: does not use corporal punishment on its pupils/students and} urges parents and carers to not use it. {For countries where corporal punishment is illegal: In [COUNTRY], corporal punishment is illegal under [LAW]. Parents who use corporal punishment could face [MAXIMUM PENALTY].}

We understand that parenting can be challenging and, if you have been using corporal punishment as the main way to discipline, it can seem drastic to change that. You may not know of any other way to teach children good behaviour. However, it is possible to teach good behaviour without using corporal punishment or other harmful practices.

If you need help with parenting, you can visit websites maintained by professional organisations such as [WEBSITE 1] or [WEBSITE 2]. You may want to call [PARENTING HELPLINE NUMBER] if you need more urgent support. You can also get in touch with professional organisations that offer parenting classes in your area. If you feel that you are going to {severely} harm your child, you should call [MENTAL HEALTH HELPLINE].

We appreciate you taking the time to read this letter and wish you the best.

[SCHOOL/HEADTEACHER'S NAME]

[SIGNATURE]

Metadata: This letter is released under CC0 (see here for what this means) and was based on this page from the World Health Organisation.