Childrearing Practices among South Asian Muslims in Britain

The aim of the study is to understand the beliefs systems, expectations and values of family life, childrearing practices and child disciplining in the South Asian communities living in Britain. The empirical work consisted of content analysis of three phone-in radio programs to explore the South Asian communities' perceptions about the use of physical punishment as a method of child disciplining. Parental authority, children's obedience and respect for the parents are major values within the South Asian families. A large number of respondents were in favor of physical punishment as an appropriate way to discipline their children in order to correct misbehavior. They viewed physical punishment (within limits) as an effective means of providing consistent guidance and discipline. The central conclusion of the present research is that generally, South Asian parents' perceptions of what is harmful are shaped by their own personal standards and customs of their culture. In light of the lack of awareness about the standard set by the British society, South Asian parents continue to practice the methods they brought from their homeland. Notes 1. Department of Health, Protecting Children, Supporting Parents, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), 2000. 2. Ibid. 3. Home Office, Protecting Children, Supporting Parents: A Consultation Document on the Physical Punishment of Children, London: Home Office, 2000. 4. M. Freeman, "Children are Unbeatable", Children and Society, Vol. 13, 1999, pp. 130–141. 5. P. Leach, The Physical Punishment of Children: Some Input from Recent Research, London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), 1999. 6. Department of Health, Protecting Children, Supporting Parents, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), 2000. 7. Office for National Statistics, ONS Omnibus Survey, London: Office for National Statistics (Survey Division), 1998. 8. R. E. Larzelere, Sweden's Smacking Ban: More Harm than Good, London: Family First and the Christian Institute, 2004. 9. J. E. Durrant, Law Reform and Corporal Punishment in Sweden: Response to Robert Larzelere, the Christian Institute, and Families First, Winnipeg: Department of Family Social Sciences, University of Manitoba, 2005. 10. Department of Health, The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), 2003. 11. House of Lords, "Peers Reject Child Smacking Ban", 2004, available online at: . 12. Ibid. 13. R. A. LeVine, "Parental Goals: A Cross-cultural View", Teachers College Record, Vol. 76, 1974, pp. 226–239. 14. J. E. Korbin, Child Abuse and Neglect: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Berkley: University of California Press, 1981. 15. In this study the term South Asian refers to people whose families originated from the Indian Subcontinent, namely, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as well as from East Africa (whose families migrated from the Indian Subcontinent). The South Asian community in Britain is not a homogeneous group and it is recognized that that there are wide variations in language, religion, culture and historical values. However, with respect to cultural dimensions, there are huge similarities between these communities. 16. M. Phillips and R. Dutt, Towards a Black Perspective in Child Protection, London: Race Equality Unit, 1995. P. A. S. Ghumnan, "Assimilation or Integration? A Study of Asian Adolescents", Educational Research, Vol. 39, 1997, pp. 23–35. 17. Phillips and Dutt, Towards a Black Perspective, op. cit. 18. P. Cawson, C. Wattam, S. Brooker and G. Kelly, Child Maltreatment in United Kingdom: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, London: NSPCC, 2000; S. Creighton, D. Ghate, N. Hazel, J. Field and S. Finch, Parents, Children and Discipline: A National Study, Report from Violence Research Programme, presented to ESRC, August 2001, London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Policy Research Bureau and National Centre for Social Research, 2001. 19. K. Atkin, "Community Care in a Multicultural Society: Incorporating the User View", Policy and Politics, Vol. 19, 1991, pp. 159–166. 20. R. Dutt and M. Phillips, "Assessing Black Children in Need and their Families", in Department of Health Assessing Children in Need and their Families, Practice Guidance, London: The Stationery Office, 2000, pp. 37–72. 21. H. Becher and F. Husain, Supporting Minority Ethnic Families: South Asian Hindus and Muslims in Britain: Developments in Family Support, London: National Family and Parenting Institute, 2003. 22. R. Shah, The Silent Minority: Children with Disabilities in Asian Families, London: National Children's Bureau, 1992. 23. G. D. Wolfner and J. R. Gelles, "A Profile of Violence toward Children: A National Study", Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 17, 1993, pp. 197–212. 24. G. Nobes, M. Smith, P. Upton and A. Heverin, "Physical Punishment by Mothers and Fathers in British Homes", Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14, 1999, pp. 887–902. 25. J. Thoburn, J. Wilding and J. Watson, Family Support in Cases of Emotional Maltreatment and Neglect, London: The Stationery Office, 2000; P. Crittenden, "Research on Maltreating Families: Implications for Intervention", in The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment, eds J. Briere et al., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996, pp. 158–174; P. Crittenden, "Child Neglect: Causes and Contributors", in Neglected Children: Research, Practice and Policy, ed. H. Dubowitz, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1999, pp. 47–68; M. Brandon, A. Lewis, J. Thoburn and A. Way, Safeguarding Children with the Children Act 1989, London: The Stationery Office, 1999. 26. T. Quereshi, D. Berridge and H. Wenman, Where to Turn? Family Support for South Asian Communities—A Case Study, London: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2000. 27. L. S. Aylesworth and P. G. Ossorio, "Refugees: Cultural Displacement and its Effects", Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 3, 1983, pp. 190–199. 28. Office for National Statistics, ONS Omnibus Survey, op. cit. 29. S. Irfan and M. Cowburn, "Disciplining, Chastisement and Physical Child Abuse: Perceptions and Attitudes of the British Pakistani Community", Journal of Minority Muslim Affairs, Vol. 24, 2004, pp. 89–98

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