'I do not want to spank them'

A photographer explores the persistence of 'pamamalo' or corporal punishment of children in the Philippines.

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
A street in the Barangay Hagonoy area of Taguig City that serves as a main thoroughfare for pedestrians and motorcycles travelling from home to their workplace, the local market and to school [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
A street in the Barangay Hagonoy area of Taguig City that serves as a main thoroughfare for pedestrians and motorcycles travelling from home to their workplace, the local market and to school [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
By Albert C Reyes
Published On 7 Nov 2024

In the Philippines, the Tagalog word "pamamalo" refers to the corporal punishment of children.

This violent means of domestic punishment, which typically involves beating a child by hand or with the use of household objects, is widely believed to be an effective form of discipline.

Multiple studies, however, have shown physical punishment to be both ineffective and harmful, instead triggering pain, sadness, fear, anger and trauma. It can desensitise children to violence and damage family relationships, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite positive parenting approaches promoted by the government and child rights advocates across the country, and a 2012 commitment to the international community to ban corporal punishment, the practice of pamamalo persists in Filipino households.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), approximately 20 million, or 59 percent of the 33.4 million children aged between one to 14, have experienced a violent form of discipline in the Philippines in the past month. Globally, one in four mothers and primary caregivers consider physical punishment to be “necessary to raise and educate children properly”, UNICEF found.

Typically, in a Filipino household, mothers look after their children. Many mothers themselves experienced violence as children, while financial hardship, mental health issues and domestic violence can pose challenges for parenting. Parental support and guidance are therefore important for children, as is creating a safe home which plays a crucial role in a child’s development and which should be a first refuge from any form of violence.

My photo essay for the Safe Photography Project run by global youth agency Restless Development, is part of a global campaign and ministerial conference to end violence against children. It is being exhibited at the conference, which is taking place in Bogata, Colombia on November 7 and 8, as part of 10 essays by young people from around the world who explored what “safe” means to children in different communities.

In the Philippines, I chose to look at what "safe" means through the themes of pamamalo and home. My essay aims to understand how local communities can foster safe households.

In the community of Barangay Hagonoy, a densely populated area in Taguig City, which has a population of nearly 900,000, I documented three mothers engaged in an open conversation about the tradition of pamamalo. My photo essay explores each mother's lived experience with pamamalo, their willingness to break the cycle and their search for a more positive approach to parenting.

*Names have been changed in this photo essay

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Sabel*, 30, works along Barangay Hagonoy's busiest street. She supports five children, who she largely cares for on her own. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Sabel*, 30, works along Barangay Hagonoy's busiest street. She supports five children, who she largely cares for on her own. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Sabel trims shorts for more than eight hours a day and earns between 700 to 1,000 pesos ($12-$17) for every three sacks of trimmed shorts. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Sabel trims shorts for more than eight hours a day and earns between 700 to 1,000 pesos ($12-$17) for every three sacks of trimmed shorts. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
“I feel the stress sometimes, but stress will never go away — it is part of life," she says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
“I feel the stress sometimes, but stress will never go away — it is part of life," she says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Sabel feeds her baby while working. She says parenting is hard, especially if you are doing it alone. When she was a child, her parents physically punished her by hitting her all over her body with a belt, wood or metal rod. Now that she is a mother, she does not want her children to experience physical punishment, but sometimes she feels she has no choice when they don't listen to her. “I do not want to spank them but they are stubborn so I have to do it,” Sabel says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Sabel feeds her baby while working. She says parenting is hard, especially if you are doing it alone. When she was a child, her parents physically punished her by hitting her all over her body with a belt, wood or metal rod. Now that she is a mother, she does not want her children to experience physical punishment, but sometimes she feels she has no choice when they don't listen to her. “I do not want to spank them but they are stubborn so I have to do it,” Sabel says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
“It’s not good to always spank a child," Sabel says, acknowledging how her children can withdraw from her after she subjects them to pamamalo. She also believes this has a knock-on effect - that children may seek attention from strangers if they don't feel comfortable sharing their problems with their parents, and sees this as dangerous, especially for her daughters. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
“It’s not good to always spank a child," Sabel says, acknowledging how her children can withdraw from her after she subjects them to pamamalo. She also believes this has a knock-on effect - that children may seek attention from strangers if they don't feel comfortable sharing their problems with their parents, and sees this as dangerous, especially for her daughters. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Marianne*, 35, owns a small eatery on the same busy street where Sabel works. She and her partner wake at 5:30am six days a week to prepare food to sell. They earn an average of 2,000 pesos ($34) a day. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Marianne*, 35, owns a small eatery on the same busy street where Sabel works. She and her partner wake at 5:30am six days a week to prepare food to sell. They earn an average of 2,000 pesos ($34) a day. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Marianne holds her daughter during a break at the eatery. Marianne was 22 when she gave birth to her first child and worried that she did not know anything about parenting when she first became a mother. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Marianne holds her daughter during a break at the eatery. Marianne was 22 when she gave birth to her first child and worried that she did not know anything about parenting when she first became a mother. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
"When I was a kid, my father was very strict. He would get angry whenever I arrived home very late. There was a time when my father cut my hair because I was too stubborn. I had to put on a headband to cover the area," Marianne says. She says pamamalo "is painful but words cause more pain". Today, she says she is close with her father. "My life right now is okay because of his guidance." [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
"When I was a kid, my father was very strict. He would get angry whenever I arrived home very late. There was a time when my father cut my hair because I was too stubborn. I had to put on a headband to cover the area," Marianne says. She says pamamalo "is painful but words cause more pain". Today, she says she is close with her father. "My life right now is okay because of his guidance." [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Mary*, 34, feeds her two children breakfast. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Mary*, 34, feeds her two children breakfast. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Mary's husband works on a boat for nine months of the year so most of the time she's taking care of their children alone. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Mary's husband works on a boat for nine months of the year so most of the time she's taking care of their children alone. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Mary helps her four-year-old son, Tantan, finish his school work with her two-year-old daughter, Isha. Her parenting responsibilities and health problems add to her daily stress and there are times when she says she occasionally takes out her frustrations on her children. "Once I have spanked them with my hands or slippers ... I come to my senses and realise what I have done,” Mary says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Mary helps her four-year-old son, Tantan, finish his school work with her two-year-old daughter, Isha. Her parenting responsibilities and health problems add to her daily stress and there are times when she says she occasionally takes out her frustrations on her children. "Once I have spanked them with my hands or slippers ... I come to my senses and realise what I have done,” Mary says. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Corporal punishment Phillipines
Corporal punishment Phillipines
Mary says her son Tantan is often the one who she hits because he is harder to discipline. "I feel guilty because I also realise my son does not deserve to be spanked. Of course, he's only four years old and he does not understand [why he is being hit],” Mary adds. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]
Mary says her son Tantan is often the one who she hits because he is harder to discipline. "I feel guilty because I also realise my son does not deserve to be spanked. Of course, he's only four years old and he does not understand [why he is being hit],” Mary adds. [Albert C Reyes/Al Jazeera]

Albert C Reyes, 20, is an advertising and public relations student from Manila, the Philippines. He is a self-taught street photographer showing the raw, unfiltered reality of life. He also loves creating short films depicting "slice-of-life" moments.

The persistence of physical violence within Filipino households motivated Albert to participate in the Safe Photography Project to help speak out against the issue, call for an end to violence against children and young people, and promote safe environments.

Source: Al Jazeera