Historical legacies and use of corporal punishments of children in families in Italy

The paper focuses on the corporal punishments of children in families in Italy, using a historical, legal and comparative perspective. Despite international legislation protecting children by excluding any form of corporal punishment, in Italy, the law confirms a right of the parent to correction. With empirical evidence in mind, which suggests that country legislation is one element that affects indirectly the parental behaviors, and that legislation is legacy of the country's history, a historical-critical and comparative analysis becomes central to a real understanding of the corporal punishments which continue to be perpetrated to harm of children.