Any punishment just as corporal punishment is physical force used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Most involve hitting (smacking, slapping, spanking) children with the hand or with an implement—whip, stick, belt, shoe, wooden spoon, etc. It can also involve, for example, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, burning, scalding, or forced ingestion (for example, washing children’s mouths out with soap or forcing them to swallow hot spices).
In addition, there are other non-physical forms of punishment which are also cruel and degrading.
These include, punishment which belittles, humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares or ridicules the child.
Children in physically abusive situations often have unexplained broken bones, bruise marks in the shape of an object such as a belt or hand, or burn marks from cigarettes on exposed areas, or on their genitalia.