Corporal Punishment - History, Overview and Case Studies
Corporal punishment in history
Whilst the early history of corporal punishment is unclear, the practice was certainly present in classical civilisations, being used in Greece, Rome, Egypt and Israel, used for both judicial and educational discipline. Practices varied greatly, though scourging and beating with sticks were both common. Some states gained a reputation for using such punishments cruelly; Sparta, in particular, used frequent and heavy punishment as part of a disciplinary regime designed to build willpower and bodily strength. Although the Spartan example was unusual, corporal punishment was possibly the most common type of minor punishment.
These approaches to corporal punishment were continued into Medieval Europe. This was encouraged by attitudes of the medieval church towards the human body, with flagellation being a common means of encouraging self-discipline. In particular this had an influence on corporal punishment in schools as educational establishments were closely attached to the church during this period. Nevertheless, corporal punishment was not used uncritically; as early as the eleventh century Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking out against what was seen as the cruel treatment of children.[1]
From the sixteenth century onwards, new trends were seen in corporal punishment. Judicial punishments were increasingly made into public spectacles, with the heavy public beatings of criminals intended as a deterrent to others. Meanwhile, early writers on education, such as Roger Ascham, complained of the arbitrary manner in which children were punished.[2] Probably the most influential writer on the subject was the English philosopher John Locke, whose Some Thoughts Concerning Education explicitly criticised the manner in which corporal punishment was central to education. Locke's work was highly influential and when Poland banned corporal punishment from its schools in 1783, its legislators were influenced by Some Thoughts Concerning Education.[3]
During the eighteenth century the frequent use of corporal punishment was heavily criticised, both by philosophers and legal reformers. Merely inflicting pain on miscreants was seen as inefficient, influencing the subject merely for a short period of time and effecting no permanent change in their behaviour. Critics believed that the purpose of punishment should be reformation, not retribution. This is perhaps best expressed in Jeremy Bentham's idea of a panoptic prison, in which prisoners were controlled and surveyed at all times. A perceived advantage of such systems was that they reduced the need of measures such as corporal punishment.[4]
A consequence of this mode of thinking was a diminution of corporal punishment throughout the nineteenth century in Europe and North America. In some countries this was encouraged by scandals involving individuals seriously hurt during acts of corporal punishment. For instance, in Britain, popular opposition to punishment was encouraged by two significant cases, the death of Private Frederick John White, who died after a military flogging in 1847, and the death of Reginald Cancellor, who was killed by his schoolmaster in 1860.[5] Events such as these mobilised public opinion, and in response, many countries introduced thorough regulation to the infliction of corporal punishment in state institutions.
The use of corporal punishment declined through the twentieth century, though the practice has proved most persistent as a punishment for violation of prison rules, as a military field punishment, and in schools.
Modern usage
In the modern world, corporal punishment remains a common way of disciplining children. Although it has been outlawed in some European countries, most legal systems permit parents to use mild corporal punishment on their children.
In terms of punishment in judicial and educational settings, approaches vary throughout the world. The practice has, for instance, been almost completely abandoned in Europe and North America, whilst other societies retain widespread use of judicial corporal punishment, including Malaysia and Singapore. In Singapore, male violent offenders and rapists are typically sentenced to caning in addition to a prison term. The Singaporean practice of caning became much discussed in the U.S. in 1994 when American teenager Michael P. Fay was sentenced to such punishment for an offence of car vandalism.
Corporal punishment is also dictated as a punishment in traditional Islamic Sharia law, and applied in countries like Saudi Arabia.
Corporal punishment of children
Opinions on corporal punishment of children are varied. Whilst the practice is accepted and embraced in many countries, it is also illegal in a number of others. There is pressure in some countries, such as the United Kingdom to have any form of corporal punishment of children made illegal and treated as child abuse. Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Iceland, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary have banned the corporal punishment of children entirely. In the USA, spanking children is legal, with some states explicitly allowing it in their law and a few states even allowing usage by schools. It is legal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts via a court decision (which involved usage of a belt), though a ban has been proposed.
Corporal punishment has been used in schools in many countries, although in many countries this practice has now been made illegal. Corporal punishment in schools was often in the form of hitting the child's hand with a leather belt, or in the case of older children, hitting the buttocks with a cane. Many educators use a milder form of corporal punishment called "spanking", usually slapping the child's buttocks with the palm of their hand; alternatively, they may administer a single smack on the hand with their own hand. Others punish their children with a switch, belt, paddle, or cane although this practice is less common than in years past.
In most part East Asia (including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea), it is legal to punish one's own child using physical means. In Singapore and Hong Kong, punishing one's own child with corporal punishment is still either legal, only discouraged, or illegal but without active enforcement of the relevant laws. Culturally, people in the region generally believe a minimal amount of corporal punishment for their own children is appropriate and necessary, and thus such practice is tolerated by the society as a whole.
China and Taiwan have made corporal punishment against children illegal in the school system, but it is still known to be practiced in some form in many areas, with punishment ranging from mild chastisement (most common); including shaking by the arm or shoulder, or a slap to the back of the head/ear, to more serious punishments (least common); including the striking of a student with a hand or cane. Such incidents are increasingly leading to public outcry, and in recent years have lead to the dismissal of teaching staff.
There is resistance, particularly from conservatives, against making the corporal punishment of children by their parents or guardians illegal. In 2004, the United States declined to become a signatory of the United Nations's "Rights of the Child" because of its sanctions on parental discipline, citing the tradition of parental authority in that country and of privacy in family decision-making.
Most countries have banned the use of corporal punishment in schools, beginning with Poland in 1783. The practice is still used in schools in some parts of the United States (approximately 1/2 the states but varying by school district within them), though it is banned in others.
The Supreme Court of Canada reaffirmed the right of a parent or guardian to use corporal punishment on children between the ages of two and twelve, under s 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code (a provision enacted in 1892), leading to many complaints.[1]
Arguments for and against
Some argue that corporal punishment is a quick and effective method and less cruel than long-term incarceration; adherents to this viewpoint think that corporal punishment should be re-considered in countries that have banned it as an alternative to imprisonment; some even want corporal punishment to replace fines for such minor offences as graffiti.
The purported advantages of this approach include easier reintegration in society (generally, physical wounds heal quickly, while prison may adversely affect relationships and job prospects), greater deterrence rates, less recidivism, and fewer costs to society. Proponents of corporal punishment also invoke arguments of authority such as those found in a literal reading of the Bible or Qur'an, or simply 'traditional means to defend traditional values'.
Since the late 20th century, with an increased interest in human rights, populations of some developed countries are moving towards considering judicial corporal punishment barbaric, and usually associate such punishment with dictatorships, police states, and fundamentalist regimes.
Proponents of the corporal punishment of children, whilst accepting that excessive physical punishment amounts to child abuse, argue that corporal punishment, properly administered, can be the most effective form of discipline for unruly children and adolescents. Polls consistently show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that corporal punishment is sometimes necessary. Without recourse to milder forms of physical punishment, parents may use forms of emotional violence that are actually more abusive.
This opinion is not shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, however, which in an official policy statement[2] (reaffirmed in 2004) states that "Corporal punishment is of limited effectiveness and has potentially deleterious side effects. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents be encouraged and assisted in the development of methods other than spanking for managing undesired behavior." In particular, the AAP holds that any corporate punishment methods other than open-hand spanking on the buttocks or extremities "are unacceptable" and "should never be used". The policy statement points out, summarizing several studies, that "The more children are spanked, the more anger they report as adults, the more likely they are to spank their own children, the more likely they are to approve of hitting a spouse, and the more marital conflict they experience as adults.[6] Spanking has been associated with higher rates of physical aggression, more substance abuse, and increased risk of crime and violence when used with older children and adolescents.[7]"
Some proponents of corporal punishment argue that those opposed to it simply do not understand the stresses of parenthood. Opponents counter that this argument raises the question of whether corporal punishment is meant as a constructive lesson for the child, or as a form of stress-relief for angry parents.
Opponents argue that any form of violence is by definition abusive. Some psychology research indicates that corporal punishment causes the destruction of trust bonds between parents and children. Children subjected to corporal punishment may grow resentful, shy, insecure, or violent. Some researchers have shown that corporal punishment actually works against its objective (normally obedience), since children will not voluntarily obey an adult they do not trust. A child who is physically punished may have to be punished more often than a child who is not. Researcher Elizabeth Gershoff, Ph.D., in a 2002 meta-analytic study that combined 60 years of research on corporal punishment, found that the only positive outcome of corporal punishment was immediate compliance; however, corporal punishment was associated with less long-term compliance. Corporal punishment was linked with nine other negative outcomes, including increased rates of aggression, delinquency, mental health problems, problems in relationships with their parents, and likelihood of being physically abused.
Opponents also note that much child abuse may in fact begin with spanking: frustrated parents turn to spanking when attempting to discipline their child, and then get carried away (given the arguable continuum between spanking and hitting). This "continuum" argument also raises the question of whether a spank can be "too hard" and how (if at all) this can be defined in practical terms. And if a spank can, indeed, be "too hard," is the parent then crossing the line and beginning to abuse their child? The American Academy of Pediatrics,[3] for instance, holds that "The only way to maintain the initial effect of spanking is to systematically increase the intensity with which it is delivered, which can quickly escalate into abuse" and that "Parents who spank their children are more likely to use other unacceptable forms of corporal punishment."[8]
Corporal punishment, fetishism, and BDSM
Corporal punishment is sometimes fetishized, and is the basis of a number of paraphilias, most notably erotic spanking. Pervertibles are various objects than can be used as punitive implement (mainly in BDSM or the private sphere, open to improvization). The techniques and rituals of corporal punishment are often included in BDSM activities; see impact play.
Ritual and punishment
Corporal punishment in formal settings, such as schools and prisons, is often highly ritualised, sometimes even staged in a highly theatrical manner. To a great extent the spectacle of punishment is intended to act as a deterrent to others and a theatrical approach is one result of this.
One consequence of the ritualised nature of much punishment has been the development of a wide variety of equipment used. Formal punishment often begins with the victim stripped of some or all of their clothing and secured to a piece of furniture, such as a trestle, frame, punishment horse or falaka. A variety of implements are then used to inflict blows on the victim. The terms used to describe these are not fixed, varying by country and by context. There are, however, a number of common types which are frequently encountered when reading about corporal punishment. These are:
The bastinado.
Rods, varying in size and flexibility. A thin, flexible rod is often called a switch.
The birch, a number of strong, flexible branches, bound together in their natural state.
Bamboo canes of various types, most notably durable species of rottan, known as the rattan.
The paddle, a flat wooden or leather pad with a handle is commonly used for corporal punishment in America.
Straps of various types, occasionally with a number of tails at one end. In Scotland and northern England, this is known as a tawse.
Whips are common in judicial punishment and prison discipline, with varieties including the famous Russian knout and South African sjambok, in addition to the scourge and martinet.
The cat o' nine tails was a popular implement used in naval discipline.
In some instances the victim of punishment were required to prepare the implement which will be used upon them. For instance, sailors were employed in preparing the cat o' nine tails which would be used upon their own back, whilst children were sent to cut a switch or rod.
In contrast, informal punishments, particularly in domestic settings, tend to lack this ritual nature and are often administered with whatever object comes to hand. It is common, for instance, for belts, wooden spoons, slippers or hairbrushes to be used in domestic punishment, whilst rulers and other classroom equipment have been used in schools.
Administration of punishment
In formal punishment medical supervision is often considered necessary to assess whether the target of punishment is in a fit condition to be beaten and to oversee the punishment to prevent serious injury from occurring. The role of the medical officer was particularly important in the nineteenth century, a time in which severe punishment was common, but growing public criticism of the practice encouraged medical regulation.
Corporal punishment can be directed at a number of different anatomical targets, the choice depending on a number of factors. The humiliation and pain of a particular punishment have always been primary concerns, but convenience and custom are also factors. There is an additional concern in the modern world about the permanent harm that can result from punishment, though this was rarely a factor before the nineteenth century. The intention of corporal punishment is to discipline an individual with the infliction of a measure of pain, and permanent injury is considered counterproductive.
Most commonly, corporal punishment is directed at the buttocks, with some languages having a specific word for their chastisement. For example, the French call this fessée, the Spanish nalgada. The English term spanking refers to punishment on the buttocks, though only with the open hand. This part of the body is often chosen because it is painful, but is arguably less likely to cause long-term physical harm.
The back is commonly targeted in military and judicial punishments, particularly popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. However, damage to both spine and kidneys is possible and such punishment is rarely used in the modern world.
Although the face and particularly the cheeks may be struck in domestic punishment, formal punishments avoid the head because of the serious injuries that can ensue. In some countries, domestic and school punishments aimed at the head are considered to be assaults.
The hands are a common target in school discipline, though rarely targeted in other forms of corporal punishment. Since serious injury can be caused by striking the hand, the implements used and the numbers of blows must be strictly controlled.
In Western Asia corporal punishment was directed against the feet in the falaka. Although this was mostly used on criminals, a version was in use in schools in the region.
One common problem with corporal punishment is the difficulty with which an objective measure of pain can be delivered. In the nineteenth century scientists such as Alexander Bain and Francis Galton suggested scientific solutions to this, such as the use of electicity.[9] These were, however, unpopular and perceived as cruel. The difficulty in inflicting a set measure of pain makes it difficult to distinguish reasonable punishment from abuse, and has contributed to calls for the abolition of the practice.
THE RETURN OF JUDICIAL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT21 States of the World permit
Floggings of Criminal People
The case of Michael Fay, the 18-year-old American sentenced to six strokes of the cane (in addition to a fine and imprisonment) in Singapore for vandalism has received such comprehensive media coverage that it hardly seems necessary for us to mention that Fay's sentence was reduced to four strokes after an appeal for clemency by President Clinton. The punishment was carried out on May 5th 1994.
My investigation for this report have the result that at least 21 states of the world permit Judicial Corporal Punishments in the years between 1995 and 1998. There are (in alphabetical order): Afghanistan, Angola, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgystan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Quartar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates (VAR) and Yemen.
Far from arousing outraged disapprovals , that might have been expected, Michael Fay's caning was broadly welcomed in all its distasteful barbarity in the crime-plagued West. A call-in poll in Fay's caning was broadly welcomed in all its distasteful barbarity in the crime-plagued West. A call-in poll in Fay's home town of Dayton, Ohio, found residents backing the caning by nearly two-to-one. Typically, a report in The Daily Telegraph, 6.4.94 was headed "Americans want vandal to be flogged". Observing that Singapore is a virtually crime-free society, many columnists in Britain and U.S.A. supported the punishment, including a writer in The Sunday Times who favoured the indroduction of a traditionally British style of caning for male and female miscreants in this country. Letters to newspapers nearly all supported the caning of Fay.
In a letter to the London Evening Standard commenting on another case in Singapore. Justine Lewis of Clapham wrote: "I have little sympathy for the Singaporean man sentenced to 15 strokes of the cane and five years' imprisonment for his part in a gang rape... The woman he raped no doubt suffered, and is still suffering, the pain physically and mentally and will do so for the rest of her life. Perhaps now he will have some idea of what a heinous crime rape is and will think twice before he commits it again".
Readers of The Sun newspapers were asked in a telephone poll published on 21.4.94 whether they backed corporal punsihment for British criminals. 38.294 voted in favour; 829 against. A similar poll conducted by the ITV morning television programme The Time, The Place on 5.5.94 showed 62.600 in favour and 3.321 against: a 95 per cent majority supporting the introduction of judical caning in Great Britain!
And in Germany? Under the headline "Prügelstrafe - viele Deutsche dafür" ("Flogging - many German's for it") the BILD-Zeitung, German's greatest daily newspaper, reported in 1994, that more and more are in favour for reintroduction corporal punsihment. At the first time a german politician, the deputy Wolfgang Zöller, said, "was many people think": the flogging of drug-dealers.
Examples of selected states:
QUARTAR
On a less savoury note The Daily Mail, 19.5.94 devoted two full pages to a special report on the flogging in Quartar of 30-year-old Gavin Sherrard-Smith from surrey for the alleged offence of selling alcohol, which he strenuously denies. The spread included a graphic halfpage illustration of "the grimm scene in the prison punishment cell" and an exclusive interview with Mr. Sharrard-Smith after he reveived 50 strokes of the cane. Lying face down on the floor, he was beaten across the entire back of his body through prison uniform.
The victim, who was one of 22 prisoners to be caned in Quatar's Central prison on that day, said: "The pain was unbelievable and the details of what happened will live with me for ever. At first the pain wasn't too much but after about 20 it really begins to hurt. It's agony, bloody agony and the last ten were extremely bad. It is a long stick and there is a fair amount of whiplash which stings. The pain became worse as they began to strike on the same places again and again".
IRAN
In 1994 another U.S.-citizen was whipped in Iran. The Daily Mail, 6.5.94 was headed "80 lashes for U.S. woman drunk in Iran" and reports, that a female has been publicly whipped in Teheran for drunken behaviour. Texan Mary Jones, 35, was sentenced to 80 lashes, fined 10.000 rials and ordered to be deported.
Jones entered Iran 11 years ago without proper identity documents and spent her night in parks and "special houses". "She confessed in court that her job was corrupting young Iranians", the judge said. Swiss diplomats, who look after U.S. interests in Iran, were not immediately avaiable for comment. Flogging has become a common punishment for drinking alcohol and some other offences in Iran under the penal code enacted after the 1979 Islamic revolution. But it was the first report in many years of a Westerner being whipped.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATS
In the United Arab Emirates, the victims, often girls and young women, are ordered to lie on a bench to be lashed, though sometimes their hands are shackled above their heads. As an Asian diplomat put it apologetically: "They must be restrained in case they run amok during the beatings".
For supposed immoral behaviour or theft, a Philippino, Sri Lankan or Indian maid in the Arab Gulf can expect up to 200 lashes. Islamic justice had condemned hundreds of young women to be flogged in the Gulf in the past years. Floggings are always administered by a man who leans over the girl to cane her in the presence of both male and female officers.
In the United Arab Emirates, the victims, often girls and young women, are shackledthe hands obove their hands to be lashed.
SINGAPORE
Many newspaper carried photos taken in Singapore's Changi prison in 1994, showing a prison officer helpfully demonstrating, with the aid of a human dummy strapped over a trestle, how Fay would be caned on the bare buttocks with a four-foot long, halfinch thick rattan. The cane is applied with the entire force of a martial arts expert's body, and causes intolerable pain, bleeding and lifelong scarring.
MALAYSIA
Criminal law prescribes caning as an additional punishment to imprisonment for those convicted of some nonviolent crimes such as narcotics possession, criminal breach of trust, and alien smuggling. Judges routinely include caning in sentences of those convicted of such crimes as kidnaping, rape, and robbery. The caning, which is carried out with a 1/2-inch-thick wooden cane, commonly causes welts, and sometimes causes scarring. Even children can be caned. For example, in July 1998 a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 strokes of the cane for a drug offense.
A description by Associated Press:Aussie teens caned in K.L.
Two Australian teenaged girls were caned and deported recently in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The two, both aged seventeen, pleaded guilty to possession of a small quantity of a controlled substance, marijuana. Both claimed ignorance of the law as their defense. Whilst the corporal punishment of adult females is not permitted in Malaysia, juveniles under age eighteen of both sexes may be awarded canings for certain offences at the discretion of courts. A lighter cane is used in these instances than the type of cane used with adult males. The illegal drug was discovered in the girls' hotel room by a maid who reported her find to the hotel manager. The police were called and the two were arrested upon their return to the hotel. They were charged with the possession and brought before a magistrate who accepted their guilty plea before sentencing them to be caned and then deported immediately. Each girl received eight strokes. Upon arrival at the Melbourne airport, one of the girls gave an account of their ordeal for Australian radio.
"We were taken to a police station and escorted by three policewomen into some kind of office. There were metal filing cabinets and a chair in the middle of the floor. A fourth policewoman was waiting there with a cane. The cane was quite thin like at school but a bit longer. We were pretty scared. The policewoman with the cane smiled at us and asked which one of us wanted to be first. I volunteered. I just wanted it to be over with. I was told to take off my dress and pantyhose and bend over the chair. While I was doing this she was taking practice swings with the cane. One of the other policewomen came over and held my wrists while I was bent over. The caning started and I screamed blue bloody murder. I didn't think anything could hurt that much."
A doctor who examined both girls two days after the canings stated that visible raised weals and abrasions consistent with severe caning were present on the buttocks and legs of both girls. The parents appealed to the Australian government, however a government spokesperson said that no action was planned. A source in Kuala Lumpur stated that such punishment was expected in Malaysia and that the girls had been treated leniently. A local youth had recently received twelve strokes for the same offence, said the source.
SAUDI ARABIA
Punishment by flogging is enforced in Saudi Arabia for a variety of offences. Flogging is used for sexual offences and can also be used discretionally by judges as a substitute or addition to other punishments.
Flogging is a regular and widespread practice throughout the Kingdom and is applied even to children. For example, Nasir al-Shibani and Muhammad Majed al-Shibani, both secondary school students, were respectively sentenced to 210 and 150 lashes. They were also sentenced to three and two months imprisonment, respectively. The sentences were passed in March 1996 by a court in Ta'if which convicted the two children on charges of assault against a teacher at their school, al-Thaqeef School in Ta'if. Some of the lashes were apparently carried out in front of the pupils and teachers of the school.
The number of lashes handed down by courts in each case is not clearly prescribed by law and can range from dozens to thousands of lashes. For example, Muhammad 'Ali al-Sayyid, an Egyptian national convicted of robbery in 1990, was sentenced to 4,000 lashes in addition to imprisonment.
A example: a report from Weekly World News:Nov. 25th 1997"I was caned in Saudi Arabia"
Westerners were horrified when English (!) nurse Lucille McLauchlan was recently sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia. But Lucille would not be the first Western woman to be publically flogged in the Moslem country. Danielle Pantinella of East Orange, New Jersey went through the same painful and demeaning experience when she received a dose of Islamic "justice" there in 1989. Here, exclusively for Weekly World News readers is Danielle's chilling (!) account of her horrific ordeal.
"For the love of Allah please stop! Please don't whip me again!" Tears streaming down my cheeks, my voice quaking in craven terror, I let out that pitiful cry as the Saudi guard raised the bamboo whip-cane high above his head and prepared to bring it down on my back for the 50th time. My body ached from the strokes that had bitten into my bare flesh and I was woozy from the pain. But when I heard the jeering roar of approval, I knew my captors would show no mercy.
As I heard the the awful sound of the cane swishing through the air once again, I passed out. And in that moment of darkness my mind drifted back to the day when the nightmare had begun.
At the time I was a naive 18 year old college student visiting Saudi Arabia. I was having a ball, but was running low on cash. I wandered into a store in the capital, Riyadh where I made the biggest mistake of life. I tried to sneak off with a bag of potato chips I hadn't paid for and the owner promptly spotted me. He called the police and the next thing I knew I was under arrest. I was thrown in a jail cell in the police station. Later on a judge sentenced me to 75 strokes of the cane for shoplifting.
The next morning I was loaded into a truck with six guards, who drove me to the market square.
To my horror, they ordered me to unbutton the back of my prison shift and bend over the back of a chair they had brought along. Two guards held my hands to keep me in position. Adding to my humiliation, hundreds of shoppers gathered around to gawk.
I looked back over my shoulder - and saw that one of the other guards had raised a long thin bamboo cane and was about to bring it down. I closed my eyes and braced myself.
There was a loud swishing sound and I felt a sharp, stinging pain across my butt, as if I had been stabbed with a knife. I winced and tears began to roll down my cheeks, but I was determined I wouldn't give the onlookers the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
One after another, the strokes whipped down across my back, thighs and buttocks in a crisscrossing pattern. And every time the cane cut into me, the crowd shouted in delight. I heard one woman cry out, "Give the infidel what she deserves!"
Finally, I couldn't hold it back. I began to howl in agony and begged for mercy - then I collapsed into unconciousness.
When I came to hours later, I was back in my bunk in the jail cell. The backs of my thighs, my bottom and my lower back were striped with dozens of painfully swollen welts. I was released and you can bet I hopped on the first plane back to the U.S.!
Another example: a report from Associated Press:May 9, 1999"Filipinas sentenced in Saudi Arabia for performing abortions"
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Two Filipinas convicted of performing abortions in Saudi Arabia have been sentenced to two years in prison and 700 lashes each, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported Sunday. The women, who were not identified, were convicted Saturday by a court in this Red Sea port city, the newspaper said. They will be deported after they complete their sentences, the paper said, quoting judge Sheik Hussein al-Hikmi. The Filipinas, in their 30s, had been performing abortions in their home for three years and were charging $930, the newspaper said. Last month, a Lebanese physician convicted of performing abortions was sentenced to life in prison. Abortion is banned in this conservative Islamic kingdom except under extraordinary circumstances, such as when the mother's life is at risk."
Whilst the early history of corporal punishment is unclear, the practice was certainly present in classical civilisations, being used in Greece, Rome, Egypt and Israel, used for both judicial and educational discipline. Practices varied greatly, though scourging and beating with sticks were both common. Some states gained a reputation for using such punishments cruelly; Sparta, in particular, used frequent and heavy punishment as part of a disciplinary regime designed to build willpower and bodily strength. Although the Spartan example was unusual, corporal punishment was possibly the most common type of minor punishment.
These approaches to corporal punishment were continued into Medieval Europe. This was encouraged by attitudes of the medieval church towards the human body, with flagellation being a common means of encouraging self-discipline. In particular this had an influence on corporal punishment in schools as educational establishments were closely attached to the church during this period. Nevertheless, corporal punishment was not used uncritically; as early as the eleventh century Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking out against what was seen as the cruel treatment of children.[1]
From the sixteenth century onwards, new trends were seen in corporal punishment. Judicial punishments were increasingly made into public spectacles, with the heavy public beatings of criminals intended as a deterrent to others. Meanwhile, early writers on education, such as Roger Ascham, complained of the arbitrary manner in which children were punished.[2] Probably the most influential writer on the subject was the English philosopher John Locke, whose Some Thoughts Concerning Education explicitly criticised the manner in which corporal punishment was central to education. Locke's work was highly influential and when Poland banned corporal punishment from its schools in 1783, its legislators were influenced by Some Thoughts Concerning Education.[3]
During the eighteenth century the frequent use of corporal punishment was heavily criticised, both by philosophers and legal reformers. Merely inflicting pain on miscreants was seen as inefficient, influencing the subject merely for a short period of time and effecting no permanent change in their behaviour. Critics believed that the purpose of punishment should be reformation, not retribution. This is perhaps best expressed in Jeremy Bentham's idea of a panoptic prison, in which prisoners were controlled and surveyed at all times. A perceived advantage of such systems was that they reduced the need of measures such as corporal punishment.[4]
A consequence of this mode of thinking was a diminution of corporal punishment throughout the nineteenth century in Europe and North America. In some countries this was encouraged by scandals involving individuals seriously hurt during acts of corporal punishment. For instance, in Britain, popular opposition to punishment was encouraged by two significant cases, the death of Private Frederick John White, who died after a military flogging in 1847, and the death of Reginald Cancellor, who was killed by his schoolmaster in 1860.[5] Events such as these mobilised public opinion, and in response, many countries introduced thorough regulation to the infliction of corporal punishment in state institutions.
The use of corporal punishment declined through the twentieth century, though the practice has proved most persistent as a punishment for violation of prison rules, as a military field punishment, and in schools.
Modern usage
In the modern world, corporal punishment remains a common way of disciplining children. Although it has been outlawed in some European countries, most legal systems permit parents to use mild corporal punishment on their children.
In terms of punishment in judicial and educational settings, approaches vary throughout the world. The practice has, for instance, been almost completely abandoned in Europe and North America, whilst other societies retain widespread use of judicial corporal punishment, including Malaysia and Singapore. In Singapore, male violent offenders and rapists are typically sentenced to caning in addition to a prison term. The Singaporean practice of caning became much discussed in the U.S. in 1994 when American teenager Michael P. Fay was sentenced to such punishment for an offence of car vandalism.
Corporal punishment is also dictated as a punishment in traditional Islamic Sharia law, and applied in countries like Saudi Arabia.
Corporal punishment of children
Opinions on corporal punishment of children are varied. Whilst the practice is accepted and embraced in many countries, it is also illegal in a number of others. There is pressure in some countries, such as the United Kingdom to have any form of corporal punishment of children made illegal and treated as child abuse. Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Iceland, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary have banned the corporal punishment of children entirely. In the USA, spanking children is legal, with some states explicitly allowing it in their law and a few states even allowing usage by schools. It is legal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts via a court decision (which involved usage of a belt), though a ban has been proposed.
Corporal punishment has been used in schools in many countries, although in many countries this practice has now been made illegal. Corporal punishment in schools was often in the form of hitting the child's hand with a leather belt, or in the case of older children, hitting the buttocks with a cane. Many educators use a milder form of corporal punishment called "spanking", usually slapping the child's buttocks with the palm of their hand; alternatively, they may administer a single smack on the hand with their own hand. Others punish their children with a switch, belt, paddle, or cane although this practice is less common than in years past.
In most part East Asia (including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea), it is legal to punish one's own child using physical means. In Singapore and Hong Kong, punishing one's own child with corporal punishment is still either legal, only discouraged, or illegal but without active enforcement of the relevant laws. Culturally, people in the region generally believe a minimal amount of corporal punishment for their own children is appropriate and necessary, and thus such practice is tolerated by the society as a whole.
China and Taiwan have made corporal punishment against children illegal in the school system, but it is still known to be practiced in some form in many areas, with punishment ranging from mild chastisement (most common); including shaking by the arm or shoulder, or a slap to the back of the head/ear, to more serious punishments (least common); including the striking of a student with a hand or cane. Such incidents are increasingly leading to public outcry, and in recent years have lead to the dismissal of teaching staff.
There is resistance, particularly from conservatives, against making the corporal punishment of children by their parents or guardians illegal. In 2004, the United States declined to become a signatory of the United Nations's "Rights of the Child" because of its sanctions on parental discipline, citing the tradition of parental authority in that country and of privacy in family decision-making.
Most countries have banned the use of corporal punishment in schools, beginning with Poland in 1783. The practice is still used in schools in some parts of the United States (approximately 1/2 the states but varying by school district within them), though it is banned in others.
The Supreme Court of Canada reaffirmed the right of a parent or guardian to use corporal punishment on children between the ages of two and twelve, under s 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code (a provision enacted in 1892), leading to many complaints.[1]
Arguments for and against
Some argue that corporal punishment is a quick and effective method and less cruel than long-term incarceration; adherents to this viewpoint think that corporal punishment should be re-considered in countries that have banned it as an alternative to imprisonment; some even want corporal punishment to replace fines for such minor offences as graffiti.
The purported advantages of this approach include easier reintegration in society (generally, physical wounds heal quickly, while prison may adversely affect relationships and job prospects), greater deterrence rates, less recidivism, and fewer costs to society. Proponents of corporal punishment also invoke arguments of authority such as those found in a literal reading of the Bible or Qur'an, or simply 'traditional means to defend traditional values'.
Since the late 20th century, with an increased interest in human rights, populations of some developed countries are moving towards considering judicial corporal punishment barbaric, and usually associate such punishment with dictatorships, police states, and fundamentalist regimes.
Proponents of the corporal punishment of children, whilst accepting that excessive physical punishment amounts to child abuse, argue that corporal punishment, properly administered, can be the most effective form of discipline for unruly children and adolescents. Polls consistently show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that corporal punishment is sometimes necessary. Without recourse to milder forms of physical punishment, parents may use forms of emotional violence that are actually more abusive.
This opinion is not shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, however, which in an official policy statement[2] (reaffirmed in 2004) states that "Corporal punishment is of limited effectiveness and has potentially deleterious side effects. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents be encouraged and assisted in the development of methods other than spanking for managing undesired behavior." In particular, the AAP holds that any corporate punishment methods other than open-hand spanking on the buttocks or extremities "are unacceptable" and "should never be used". The policy statement points out, summarizing several studies, that "The more children are spanked, the more anger they report as adults, the more likely they are to spank their own children, the more likely they are to approve of hitting a spouse, and the more marital conflict they experience as adults.[6] Spanking has been associated with higher rates of physical aggression, more substance abuse, and increased risk of crime and violence when used with older children and adolescents.[7]"
Some proponents of corporal punishment argue that those opposed to it simply do not understand the stresses of parenthood. Opponents counter that this argument raises the question of whether corporal punishment is meant as a constructive lesson for the child, or as a form of stress-relief for angry parents.
Opponents argue that any form of violence is by definition abusive. Some psychology research indicates that corporal punishment causes the destruction of trust bonds between parents and children. Children subjected to corporal punishment may grow resentful, shy, insecure, or violent. Some researchers have shown that corporal punishment actually works against its objective (normally obedience), since children will not voluntarily obey an adult they do not trust. A child who is physically punished may have to be punished more often than a child who is not. Researcher Elizabeth Gershoff, Ph.D., in a 2002 meta-analytic study that combined 60 years of research on corporal punishment, found that the only positive outcome of corporal punishment was immediate compliance; however, corporal punishment was associated with less long-term compliance. Corporal punishment was linked with nine other negative outcomes, including increased rates of aggression, delinquency, mental health problems, problems in relationships with their parents, and likelihood of being physically abused.
Opponents also note that much child abuse may in fact begin with spanking: frustrated parents turn to spanking when attempting to discipline their child, and then get carried away (given the arguable continuum between spanking and hitting). This "continuum" argument also raises the question of whether a spank can be "too hard" and how (if at all) this can be defined in practical terms. And if a spank can, indeed, be "too hard," is the parent then crossing the line and beginning to abuse their child? The American Academy of Pediatrics,[3] for instance, holds that "The only way to maintain the initial effect of spanking is to systematically increase the intensity with which it is delivered, which can quickly escalate into abuse" and that "Parents who spank their children are more likely to use other unacceptable forms of corporal punishment."[8]
Corporal punishment, fetishism, and BDSM
Corporal punishment is sometimes fetishized, and is the basis of a number of paraphilias, most notably erotic spanking. Pervertibles are various objects than can be used as punitive implement (mainly in BDSM or the private sphere, open to improvization). The techniques and rituals of corporal punishment are often included in BDSM activities; see impact play.
Ritual and punishment
Corporal punishment in formal settings, such as schools and prisons, is often highly ritualised, sometimes even staged in a highly theatrical manner. To a great extent the spectacle of punishment is intended to act as a deterrent to others and a theatrical approach is one result of this.
One consequence of the ritualised nature of much punishment has been the development of a wide variety of equipment used. Formal punishment often begins with the victim stripped of some or all of their clothing and secured to a piece of furniture, such as a trestle, frame, punishment horse or falaka. A variety of implements are then used to inflict blows on the victim. The terms used to describe these are not fixed, varying by country and by context. There are, however, a number of common types which are frequently encountered when reading about corporal punishment. These are:
The bastinado.
Rods, varying in size and flexibility. A thin, flexible rod is often called a switch.
The birch, a number of strong, flexible branches, bound together in their natural state.
Bamboo canes of various types, most notably durable species of rottan, known as the rattan.
The paddle, a flat wooden or leather pad with a handle is commonly used for corporal punishment in America.
Straps of various types, occasionally with a number of tails at one end. In Scotland and northern England, this is known as a tawse.
Whips are common in judicial punishment and prison discipline, with varieties including the famous Russian knout and South African sjambok, in addition to the scourge and martinet.
The cat o' nine tails was a popular implement used in naval discipline.
In some instances the victim of punishment were required to prepare the implement which will be used upon them. For instance, sailors were employed in preparing the cat o' nine tails which would be used upon their own back, whilst children were sent to cut a switch or rod.
In contrast, informal punishments, particularly in domestic settings, tend to lack this ritual nature and are often administered with whatever object comes to hand. It is common, for instance, for belts, wooden spoons, slippers or hairbrushes to be used in domestic punishment, whilst rulers and other classroom equipment have been used in schools.
Administration of punishment
In formal punishment medical supervision is often considered necessary to assess whether the target of punishment is in a fit condition to be beaten and to oversee the punishment to prevent serious injury from occurring. The role of the medical officer was particularly important in the nineteenth century, a time in which severe punishment was common, but growing public criticism of the practice encouraged medical regulation.
Corporal punishment can be directed at a number of different anatomical targets, the choice depending on a number of factors. The humiliation and pain of a particular punishment have always been primary concerns, but convenience and custom are also factors. There is an additional concern in the modern world about the permanent harm that can result from punishment, though this was rarely a factor before the nineteenth century. The intention of corporal punishment is to discipline an individual with the infliction of a measure of pain, and permanent injury is considered counterproductive.
Most commonly, corporal punishment is directed at the buttocks, with some languages having a specific word for their chastisement. For example, the French call this fessée, the Spanish nalgada. The English term spanking refers to punishment on the buttocks, though only with the open hand. This part of the body is often chosen because it is painful, but is arguably less likely to cause long-term physical harm.
The back is commonly targeted in military and judicial punishments, particularly popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. However, damage to both spine and kidneys is possible and such punishment is rarely used in the modern world.
Although the face and particularly the cheeks may be struck in domestic punishment, formal punishments avoid the head because of the serious injuries that can ensue. In some countries, domestic and school punishments aimed at the head are considered to be assaults.
The hands are a common target in school discipline, though rarely targeted in other forms of corporal punishment. Since serious injury can be caused by striking the hand, the implements used and the numbers of blows must be strictly controlled.
In Western Asia corporal punishment was directed against the feet in the falaka. Although this was mostly used on criminals, a version was in use in schools in the region.
One common problem with corporal punishment is the difficulty with which an objective measure of pain can be delivered. In the nineteenth century scientists such as Alexander Bain and Francis Galton suggested scientific solutions to this, such as the use of electicity.[9] These were, however, unpopular and perceived as cruel. The difficulty in inflicting a set measure of pain makes it difficult to distinguish reasonable punishment from abuse, and has contributed to calls for the abolition of the practice.
THE RETURN OF JUDICIAL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT21 States of the World permit
Floggings of Criminal People
The case of Michael Fay, the 18-year-old American sentenced to six strokes of the cane (in addition to a fine and imprisonment) in Singapore for vandalism has received such comprehensive media coverage that it hardly seems necessary for us to mention that Fay's sentence was reduced to four strokes after an appeal for clemency by President Clinton. The punishment was carried out on May 5th 1994.
My investigation for this report have the result that at least 21 states of the world permit Judicial Corporal Punishments in the years between 1995 and 1998. There are (in alphabetical order): Afghanistan, Angola, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgystan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Quartar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates (VAR) and Yemen.
Far from arousing outraged disapprovals , that might have been expected, Michael Fay's caning was broadly welcomed in all its distasteful barbarity in the crime-plagued West. A call-in poll in Fay's caning was broadly welcomed in all its distasteful barbarity in the crime-plagued West. A call-in poll in Fay's home town of Dayton, Ohio, found residents backing the caning by nearly two-to-one. Typically, a report in The Daily Telegraph, 6.4.94 was headed "Americans want vandal to be flogged". Observing that Singapore is a virtually crime-free society, many columnists in Britain and U.S.A. supported the punishment, including a writer in The Sunday Times who favoured the indroduction of a traditionally British style of caning for male and female miscreants in this country. Letters to newspapers nearly all supported the caning of Fay.
In a letter to the London Evening Standard commenting on another case in Singapore. Justine Lewis of Clapham wrote: "I have little sympathy for the Singaporean man sentenced to 15 strokes of the cane and five years' imprisonment for his part in a gang rape... The woman he raped no doubt suffered, and is still suffering, the pain physically and mentally and will do so for the rest of her life. Perhaps now he will have some idea of what a heinous crime rape is and will think twice before he commits it again".
Readers of The Sun newspapers were asked in a telephone poll published on 21.4.94 whether they backed corporal punsihment for British criminals. 38.294 voted in favour; 829 against. A similar poll conducted by the ITV morning television programme The Time, The Place on 5.5.94 showed 62.600 in favour and 3.321 against: a 95 per cent majority supporting the introduction of judical caning in Great Britain!
And in Germany? Under the headline "Prügelstrafe - viele Deutsche dafür" ("Flogging - many German's for it") the BILD-Zeitung, German's greatest daily newspaper, reported in 1994, that more and more are in favour for reintroduction corporal punsihment. At the first time a german politician, the deputy Wolfgang Zöller, said, "was many people think": the flogging of drug-dealers.
Examples of selected states:
QUARTAR
On a less savoury note The Daily Mail, 19.5.94 devoted two full pages to a special report on the flogging in Quartar of 30-year-old Gavin Sherrard-Smith from surrey for the alleged offence of selling alcohol, which he strenuously denies. The spread included a graphic halfpage illustration of "the grimm scene in the prison punishment cell" and an exclusive interview with Mr. Sharrard-Smith after he reveived 50 strokes of the cane. Lying face down on the floor, he was beaten across the entire back of his body through prison uniform.
The victim, who was one of 22 prisoners to be caned in Quatar's Central prison on that day, said: "The pain was unbelievable and the details of what happened will live with me for ever. At first the pain wasn't too much but after about 20 it really begins to hurt. It's agony, bloody agony and the last ten were extremely bad. It is a long stick and there is a fair amount of whiplash which stings. The pain became worse as they began to strike on the same places again and again".
IRAN
In 1994 another U.S.-citizen was whipped in Iran. The Daily Mail, 6.5.94 was headed "80 lashes for U.S. woman drunk in Iran" and reports, that a female has been publicly whipped in Teheran for drunken behaviour. Texan Mary Jones, 35, was sentenced to 80 lashes, fined 10.000 rials and ordered to be deported.
Jones entered Iran 11 years ago without proper identity documents and spent her night in parks and "special houses". "She confessed in court that her job was corrupting young Iranians", the judge said. Swiss diplomats, who look after U.S. interests in Iran, were not immediately avaiable for comment. Flogging has become a common punishment for drinking alcohol and some other offences in Iran under the penal code enacted after the 1979 Islamic revolution. But it was the first report in many years of a Westerner being whipped.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATS
In the United Arab Emirates, the victims, often girls and young women, are ordered to lie on a bench to be lashed, though sometimes their hands are shackled above their heads. As an Asian diplomat put it apologetically: "They must be restrained in case they run amok during the beatings".
For supposed immoral behaviour or theft, a Philippino, Sri Lankan or Indian maid in the Arab Gulf can expect up to 200 lashes. Islamic justice had condemned hundreds of young women to be flogged in the Gulf in the past years. Floggings are always administered by a man who leans over the girl to cane her in the presence of both male and female officers.
In the United Arab Emirates, the victims, often girls and young women, are shackledthe hands obove their hands to be lashed.
SINGAPORE
Many newspaper carried photos taken in Singapore's Changi prison in 1994, showing a prison officer helpfully demonstrating, with the aid of a human dummy strapped over a trestle, how Fay would be caned on the bare buttocks with a four-foot long, halfinch thick rattan. The cane is applied with the entire force of a martial arts expert's body, and causes intolerable pain, bleeding and lifelong scarring.
MALAYSIA
Criminal law prescribes caning as an additional punishment to imprisonment for those convicted of some nonviolent crimes such as narcotics possession, criminal breach of trust, and alien smuggling. Judges routinely include caning in sentences of those convicted of such crimes as kidnaping, rape, and robbery. The caning, which is carried out with a 1/2-inch-thick wooden cane, commonly causes welts, and sometimes causes scarring. Even children can be caned. For example, in July 1998 a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 strokes of the cane for a drug offense.
A description by Associated Press:Aussie teens caned in K.L.
Two Australian teenaged girls were caned and deported recently in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The two, both aged seventeen, pleaded guilty to possession of a small quantity of a controlled substance, marijuana. Both claimed ignorance of the law as their defense. Whilst the corporal punishment of adult females is not permitted in Malaysia, juveniles under age eighteen of both sexes may be awarded canings for certain offences at the discretion of courts. A lighter cane is used in these instances than the type of cane used with adult males. The illegal drug was discovered in the girls' hotel room by a maid who reported her find to the hotel manager. The police were called and the two were arrested upon their return to the hotel. They were charged with the possession and brought before a magistrate who accepted their guilty plea before sentencing them to be caned and then deported immediately. Each girl received eight strokes. Upon arrival at the Melbourne airport, one of the girls gave an account of their ordeal for Australian radio.
"We were taken to a police station and escorted by three policewomen into some kind of office. There were metal filing cabinets and a chair in the middle of the floor. A fourth policewoman was waiting there with a cane. The cane was quite thin like at school but a bit longer. We were pretty scared. The policewoman with the cane smiled at us and asked which one of us wanted to be first. I volunteered. I just wanted it to be over with. I was told to take off my dress and pantyhose and bend over the chair. While I was doing this she was taking practice swings with the cane. One of the other policewomen came over and held my wrists while I was bent over. The caning started and I screamed blue bloody murder. I didn't think anything could hurt that much."
A doctor who examined both girls two days after the canings stated that visible raised weals and abrasions consistent with severe caning were present on the buttocks and legs of both girls. The parents appealed to the Australian government, however a government spokesperson said that no action was planned. A source in Kuala Lumpur stated that such punishment was expected in Malaysia and that the girls had been treated leniently. A local youth had recently received twelve strokes for the same offence, said the source.
SAUDI ARABIA
Punishment by flogging is enforced in Saudi Arabia for a variety of offences. Flogging is used for sexual offences and can also be used discretionally by judges as a substitute or addition to other punishments.
Flogging is a regular and widespread practice throughout the Kingdom and is applied even to children. For example, Nasir al-Shibani and Muhammad Majed al-Shibani, both secondary school students, were respectively sentenced to 210 and 150 lashes. They were also sentenced to three and two months imprisonment, respectively. The sentences were passed in March 1996 by a court in Ta'if which convicted the two children on charges of assault against a teacher at their school, al-Thaqeef School in Ta'if. Some of the lashes were apparently carried out in front of the pupils and teachers of the school.
The number of lashes handed down by courts in each case is not clearly prescribed by law and can range from dozens to thousands of lashes. For example, Muhammad 'Ali al-Sayyid, an Egyptian national convicted of robbery in 1990, was sentenced to 4,000 lashes in addition to imprisonment.
A example: a report from Weekly World News:Nov. 25th 1997"I was caned in Saudi Arabia"
Westerners were horrified when English (!) nurse Lucille McLauchlan was recently sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia. But Lucille would not be the first Western woman to be publically flogged in the Moslem country. Danielle Pantinella of East Orange, New Jersey went through the same painful and demeaning experience when she received a dose of Islamic "justice" there in 1989. Here, exclusively for Weekly World News readers is Danielle's chilling (!) account of her horrific ordeal.
"For the love of Allah please stop! Please don't whip me again!" Tears streaming down my cheeks, my voice quaking in craven terror, I let out that pitiful cry as the Saudi guard raised the bamboo whip-cane high above his head and prepared to bring it down on my back for the 50th time. My body ached from the strokes that had bitten into my bare flesh and I was woozy from the pain. But when I heard the jeering roar of approval, I knew my captors would show no mercy.
As I heard the the awful sound of the cane swishing through the air once again, I passed out. And in that moment of darkness my mind drifted back to the day when the nightmare had begun.
At the time I was a naive 18 year old college student visiting Saudi Arabia. I was having a ball, but was running low on cash. I wandered into a store in the capital, Riyadh where I made the biggest mistake of life. I tried to sneak off with a bag of potato chips I hadn't paid for and the owner promptly spotted me. He called the police and the next thing I knew I was under arrest. I was thrown in a jail cell in the police station. Later on a judge sentenced me to 75 strokes of the cane for shoplifting.
The next morning I was loaded into a truck with six guards, who drove me to the market square.
To my horror, they ordered me to unbutton the back of my prison shift and bend over the back of a chair they had brought along. Two guards held my hands to keep me in position. Adding to my humiliation, hundreds of shoppers gathered around to gawk.
I looked back over my shoulder - and saw that one of the other guards had raised a long thin bamboo cane and was about to bring it down. I closed my eyes and braced myself.
There was a loud swishing sound and I felt a sharp, stinging pain across my butt, as if I had been stabbed with a knife. I winced and tears began to roll down my cheeks, but I was determined I wouldn't give the onlookers the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
One after another, the strokes whipped down across my back, thighs and buttocks in a crisscrossing pattern. And every time the cane cut into me, the crowd shouted in delight. I heard one woman cry out, "Give the infidel what she deserves!"
Finally, I couldn't hold it back. I began to howl in agony and begged for mercy - then I collapsed into unconciousness.
When I came to hours later, I was back in my bunk in the jail cell. The backs of my thighs, my bottom and my lower back were striped with dozens of painfully swollen welts. I was released and you can bet I hopped on the first plane back to the U.S.!
Another example: a report from Associated Press:May 9, 1999"Filipinas sentenced in Saudi Arabia for performing abortions"
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Two Filipinas convicted of performing abortions in Saudi Arabia have been sentenced to two years in prison and 700 lashes each, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported Sunday. The women, who were not identified, were convicted Saturday by a court in this Red Sea port city, the newspaper said. They will be deported after they complete their sentences, the paper said, quoting judge Sheik Hussein al-Hikmi. The Filipinas, in their 30s, had been performing abortions in their home for three years and were charging $930, the newspaper said. Last month, a Lebanese physician convicted of performing abortions was sentenced to life in prison. Abortion is banned in this conservative Islamic kingdom except under extraordinary circumstances, such as when the mother's life is at risk."
posted by scorpioneo at 7:40 PM
5 Comments:
Your Blog helps a lot in our debate. hope this info will win us!
God Bless You.
I hope those people reading these accounts of extreme brutality recognise that the "muslim world" resides in its own filthy cellar
of wanton, vicious immorality.
Their "sharia" in my opinion is nothing more than a depraved excuse for vile fetishistic perversion.
The ugly society that is Saudi Arabia will, finally, fade to black.
they should do this to Paedophiles and child killers-prison is to good for them!
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