Corporal Punishment

Every counrty in the world (Apart from The US & Australia) prohibits School Corporal Punshment. China's official Propaganda line has alwasys been that all forms of Corporal Punishment in Schools was swept away by the 1949 communist revolution. Since my time in China it is obvious that this is not the case (and after a little research I found a report in May 2000 that gathered evidence to prove that beatings in schools are still widespread).
Unfortunatly I have witnessed for myself that the children in the Kindergarten (as young as 2 years old) are slapped, pinched and kicked if they misbehave. All of the classrooms are fitted with CCTV cameras, therefore none of the above take place in the classroom, however the kids are taken into the bathroom and the noise that follows makes me sick to my stomach. Now, belive me, I got myself into quite a bit of trouble by expressing how innapropriate I thought this was, and it became clear that nothing I said or did was going to change the fact that this happens here. It always has and, sadly, probably always will.
I can however try to diffuse a situation before it arises (making the child in question sit up front, as close to me as possible) and for the last week or so I haven't been unfortunate enought to witness this again, although I am under no illusion that it isn't happening.

Now, on a lighter note, there was an incident at the Kindergarten a week ago that I had quite a good giggle over (at first!). The kindergarten has 3 security guards that alternate shifts throughout the week. All Schools and important buidings have these funny gates that are operated by remote control and open and close like an Accordion! The Security Guard opens it everytime someone is coming or going. Anyway, on a Sunday the guard is alone at the kindergarten and the Minibus (Peoplecarrier) is parked in the driveway. I can only begin to imagine hoe bored he was, he decided to take the keys (which are kept in the Kindergarten) and drive aroundthe tiny yard in circles! He didn't have a licence and would certainly have lost his job if he got caught! It cracks me up thinking about how much fun he was probably having and have to admit in his position I probably would have done the same thing!! ( However, knowing what I do now - Not a chance!!) He was driving around probably loving the fact that he was getting away with murder when he lost control and ploughed straight through the gate and into the wall of the park opposite!! There was absolutely no way of covering up what he had done.... so he ran!
I arrived at school the next day to see the mess he had made and all the commotion. The police had arrived and were taking pictures ( I managed to get one too!) I found the whole thing really funny until young told me that the Guard had 3 days to return to the Kindergarten to apologise and beg for foregiveness or he would be shot. I couldn't belive it and thought he was joking at first. He explained that if he didn't return within 3 days he would be hunted down and serve a year in a concentration camp style prison (where he would probably die before the year was up) and after a year he would be shot in the head. I felt sick. I had been laughing at his mischevious antics and he was likely to be killed for it. I understood that corporal punishment is still in practice in China, but I didn't think for one second that this little stunt would cost someone their life. These thing are taken very serously in China and this guard had abused a position of trust. I spent the next three days asking about him, desperate to hear that he had come back to apologise, but by the third day... still no word. The police were informed to find him.
The kindergarten 'King' is a good man, and I have always been really fond of him, but after this incident I thought that no warm blooded human could really let something like this happen to someone who (in my eyes) really didn't do something that terrible. The police caught the security guard after a day or two. When I heard this I felt sick.
The gaurd (only 21 years old) was sobbing and obviosly very apologetic, he didn't want to die. He was begging the 'king' and promised everything under the sun, including to work at the Kindergarten for 3 years with no salary. After giving it some thought the 'King' aggreed to this and THANK GOD the charges were dropped.
Those few days felt like an eternity and I have never experience anything like it before! The next day I was so relived to see him (still looking a little pale!) back to work as if nothing had happened! I feel sad at the thought of him having to work for 3 years with no wages, but I guess it's better than a kick up the arse.... or a bullett in the brain!
Fucking hell.... This is China!

written by

emmarogers85 on November 6, 2007 from Shenyang, China

from the travel blog: Teach and Travel China - 6 Months

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