We were taught as children that punishment was always a way to correct us. For the sake of these corrections, a lot of children have undergone having some parts of their body completely disfigured leading to trauma.

In recent times, it has began to seem like the value in punishing a child for correction has been lost, maybe now punishment is just a way of unbagging anger and frustration and now Child discipline may seem to weigh the same as Child Abuse.

While it is impossible to wipe out discipline as it is a necessity in raising a child and building a good society, here are a few suggestions from some people to help stay in check and make sure that Child discipline never begins to look like Child Abuse.

1) There are other means of disciplining a child aside from physically or emotionally inflicting pain. Emotional intelligence is very key in child discipline.

2) Child Abuse and Child discipline are two different things. When a person corrects from a place of love, child abuse can be avoided and child abuse under any guise should be clamped down on.

3)Discipline is to build the child up.

Abuse would bring the child down.

4) There’s a very thin line between the two, especially in African culture. Even with the best intentions, discipline can have the effects of abuse if the reason for the discipline isn’t well communicated, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime and/or it’s a transfer of aggression.