Survey: Most Czech parents avoid physical punishment

Some 41% of Czech parents say they never use physical punishment like spanking, according to a survey carried out by experts from Charles University and the General University Hospital in Prague. About 22% do, believing it helps set boundaries, while 26% admitted using it in the past but with guilt or regret.

Lead researcher Martina Sebalo Vňuková said such punishment often stems from helplessness rather than conviction, and is more common among parents who experienced it as children.

A proposed Civil Code amendment now in the Senate would require parents to raise children without physical or psychological harm.

Many parents now see physical punishment as harmful. Among those who used it, 42% later explained the situation, 8% apologized, and 43% tried to repair the relationship.