Whittlesea CALD Communities Family Violence Research Report 2012 | Page 33

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Task 2
The first of the two scenarios involved a teenage girl whose mother meted out physical punishment
to her daughter after she returned home from a party that she did not have permission to attend.
Both groups were asked to discuss:
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whether the mother’s use of physical punishment was appropriate;
whether there was an alternative possible response from the mother;
whether physical punishment in this context is violence;
what consequences might flow from the mother’s use of physical punishment;
what advice they would give to the girl if she confided in them or sought help;
how they would react if they were in the mother’s position;

Both groups were sympathetic to both the mother and the daughter in this scenario.

Girls Group
The girls group thought that physical punishment was sometimes appropriate and were quite
condemnatory of the girl’s behaviour saying she had contributed to or in some way deserved
physical punishment.
The girls group distinguished between a one off situation and an ongoing pattern of behaviour on
the part of the girl. Where it was a one off they thought a verbal warning or grounding might have
been a more appropriate response, but where it was a pattern of behaviour they believed the
mother’s response was justified. One girl equated physical punishment with violence, the other did
not.
The girls group listed some of the consequences of ongoing physical punishment as: having a
negative impact on the girl’s relationship with her mother, the girl experiencing fear, behaviour
change in the girl (e.g. not leaving the house without permission, telling her mother where she is
going etc).
In offering advice to the girl the girls group emphasised ways in which she could modify her
behaviour to avoid physical punishment, for example encouraging her to ‘stay home and study’
instead of going out.

Boys Group
The boys group thought that it was not appropriate for the mother to use physical punishment but
they also thought the girl’s behaviour was not appropriate.
Again they emphasised that there was a difference between a one off situation and an ongoing
pattern of behaviour but they were less likely to see physical punishment as ever being an
appropriate response and all in the group equated physical punishment with violence.
The boys group came up with more suggestions for alternative ways the mother could have dealt
with the situation including calling the police if she was worried, increasing communication and trust
with her daughter, discussing with her daughter the reasons for her behaviour.
If advising the girl as a friend the boys group said they would tell her to listen to her mother and try
to communicate better. If communication failed the boys group suggested that the girl could speak
to her father, another trusted family member or teachers at school.