[Opinion] Parental Rights

A few days ago, the supreme court of Switzerland ruled that parents are only allowed to hit their children for disciplinary purposes only to extent the society tolerates. If they cross the line, they will be subject to a criminal charge, according to the ruling. The decision came in a case filed against a stepfather who hit about ten times, kicked and pulled the ears of his two sons, who are 9-year-old and 11-year-old respectively. Having living for the two children`s mother for three years, the court said that the man was entitled to discipline the children for ill behavior. Hitting ten times, however, was too much and kicking and pulling ears cannot be justified, the court ruled, overturning the lower court`s decision.

In North Europe, parents or teachers who hit little children are subject to a criminal charge. If parents let their children in a car on the street or in an empty house for long time, chances are they will be reported to the authorities as childe abusers. The act of harming children`s well-being physically, emotionally and sexually constitutes child abuse. If you think you can treat your children as you like because you are their parents, you are wrong and you will most likely invite trouble in those countries. Westerners believe that children must also be respected as individual beings.

A housewife chose to jump to her death from a high-story apartment building with her three children. After her husband left home for not being able to find a job, she managed to make both ends meet by working as housemaid. Her mother cried out that she never knew her daughter was in such trouble. And many also feel sad and sorry for what happened. Some might blame the government for failing to build a safety net against a high unemployment rate. Some others find the city life and the social structure to be blamed.

Although the mother killed her children not to leave the little ones in this cold world without someone to turn to, killing is killing. Parents cannot own their children and their lives. When they knew what their mother was about to do, the children shouted, ˝I don`t want to die, mother.˝ It was horrible to imagine what their faces were like facing the death. In the past, our parents gave birth to five to six children even they could not afford to raise them all, saying `everyone has his or her own destiny.` Children are strong survivors. Toddlers learn how to interact with and respond to the outer world after falling and rising again so many times. And parents are not entitled to deprive them of the right to learn and live on.

Hwang Ho-taek, Editorial Writer, hthwang@donga.com