Physical punishment against the early childhood in Colombia: National and regional prevalence, sociodemographic gaps, and ten-year trends

Physical punishment is prevalent throughout the world and has been prohibited in only 53 countries despite evidence showing its detrimental effects on child development. This study examines the prevalence of physical punishment, particularly of spanking and hitting with objects, in Colombia, a country where children suffer from multiple stressors of civil conflict, community violence, and poverty. Findings suggest that about 1.7 million Colombian children younger than five are exposed to physical punishment, which correspond to a prevalence of almost 40%; specifically, more than 1 million children (23.8%) are hit with objects, and 887 thousand (20.4%) are spanked. Moreover, the results show that the proportion of 0- to- 4-y-olds exposed to physical punishment is higher than the one found for younger children, whereas a higher proportion of children living in multidimensionally poor households and in rural areas were hit with objects than those living in non-poor households and in urban areas. Yet, results show that physical punishment has steadily decline throughout the country between 2005 and 2015. Implications for legislation, policy, and practice aimed at protecting Colombian children from physical punishment are discussed.