Advocacy & Protest

  1. By Jordan Riak
    1. Plain Talk
    2. Booklet formatted PDF-- Not conveniently screen readable
    3. Read Letters from typical professional users


    A Letter to School Boards in Paddling Districts




    NORTH CAROLINA - Disarming the paddlers




    Volunteering A message from J. Riak, Jan. 2008




    The sticker business A message from J. Riak, Jan. 2008




    Time to padlock paddle peddlers! A call for action from Susan Lawrence, September 25, 2007




    Advice to a student who asks: "How can we protect ourselves from corporal punishment at school?"




    School Spanking
    Teacher demonstrates correct method
    Use Windows Media Player or equivalent.




    Reasonable and Moderate:
    Variations on a theme
    By Jordan Riak




    Over the GW

    Must-See Indy Film Exposes Cruel Teen Correction Programs

    Read review by Maia Szalavitz, July 7, 2007
    Click here




    Ending legalized violence against children -- Global Report 2006, Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children (Large PDF file. Allow download time.)
    Click here

  2. Editorials opposing corporal punishment, 1871-2007 Publications: Bangkok Post, The Charlotte Observer(3 editorials), Chattanooga Times - Free Press, Commercial Appeal(2 editorials), Daily News (Sri Lanka), The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The Hankyoreh (Korea), Huntsville Times, The Jackson Sun, Kennebec Journal, The Lancet , The Manila Times, Memphis Flyer, Muskogee Phoenix, New York Times, The New Zealand Herald (2 editorials), News & Observer, Pacific Daily News (Guam), Post-Gazette, The Press (New Zealand), San Francisco Chronicle, St. Petersburg Times, Taiwan Journal, USA Today, Waterville Morning Sentinel, The Weekly Journal, Winston-Salem Journal

  3. Spanking/Paddling and the Roots of Racism, PTAVE, July 2008

  4. Obedience to authority, Letter to Jack's Newswatch, By Jordan Riak, July 18, 2008

  5. The Sexual Factor, Letter to The Clarion-Ledger, By Jordan Riak, July 14, 2008

  6. Paddlers' state of mind, By Jordan Riak, July 3, 2008

  7. In search of the fine line, Letter to the Editor of Ottawa Citizen by Jordan Riak, June 28, 2008

  8. The effects of spanking are obvious By Susan Larwrence, The Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 2008

  9. Parental rights, Letter to the Editor of The Calgary Herald from Jordan Riak, June 23, 2008

  10. Encounter in a parking lot, June 2008

  11. What do I do?, A letter from Amber, June 7, 2008

  12. Letter to Education Department Heads in Paddling States, By Jordan Riak, May 27, 2008

  13. Curbing Youth Violence, By Jordan Riak, May 2008

  14. Shame on Arkansas, Guest Editorial, By Jordan Riak, Arkansas Times, April 3, 2008

  15. The whip, the paddle, the hickory switch, Presentation, Feb. 23, 2008, Black History Month Celebration, San Mateo Public Library, by Jordan Riak

  16. UK: Campaign to ban smacking, By Patrick Wintour, political editor (editor@societyguardian.co.uk), The Guardian, February 15 2008

  17. They let it die -- Deadline kills “anti-spanking” bill in state assembly, California Catholic Daily, February 7, 2008

  18. Spare the rod, save a psyche, By Claire Gawinowicz, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 29, 2008

  19. Belts equal violence, not discipline, By Richard Davis and Robert Heskett. Mr. Davis is president and Mr. Heskett executive director of Family Nonviolence, Inc. in Fairhaven., SouthCoastToday.com, January 23, 2008

  20. Europe is moving towards a total ban of domestic violence against children, Source: Council of Europe - Commissioner of Human Rights, January 22, 2008

  21. Murder Case Tests Limits on Parents’ Right to Hit, By Andy Newman and Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times, January 20, 2008

  22. NEW ZEALAND: Smacking prosecution fears misplaced, Children's Rights Information Network (CRIN), December 21, 2007

  23. Spain bans parents from smacking children, Reporting by Ben Harding; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia, Reuters, December 20, 2007

  24. VENEZUELA: Second Latin American country to ban corporal punishment, Children's Rights Information Network (CRIN), December 20, 2007

  25. CHILE: The Minister of Justice of the Government of Chile announces the prohibition of physical punishment as a method of correction for children, Children's Rights Information Network (CRIN), December 18, 2007

  26. Dangerous Product Injures Children: Consumer Product Safety Commission looks at child safety with one eye shut, Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education, August 2007
    WARNING - These images may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Do not open this page if children are present.

  27. Open Letter to the American Psychological Association, Coordinated by Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE)

  28. Response to a critic, By Jordan Riak, October 6, 2007

  29. We already have laws against child abuse, don't we?

  30. Why I Like the Strong-Willed Child, By Norm Lee, August 2007

  31. EDITORIAL: Close Columbia Training School By JFP Staff, Jackson free Press, June 13, 2007

  32. FOX Television Stations, Inc. Gives Free Advertising to Maker of Product that Endangers Children By Jordan Riak, July 1, 2007

  33. Spanking a child is an act of violence, By Nina Adel, Robertson County Times - TN, June 28, 2007

  34. Bad advice from people who should know better, By David Cooperson, LCSW, ACSW, June 14, 2007

  35. CULTURAL CRUELTY TO CHILDREN -- KOREA

  36. Teachers as bullies, Letter to The News & Observer (NC), from Gary Schaffer, May 31, 2007

  37. Resolution to Reduce Violence by Refraining from Corporal Punishment of Children, Submitted to Boston City Council May 9, 2007

  38. A Doctor's Bad Medicine, By Patrick Briody, April 2007

  39. GOD TOLD HIM TO DO IT; Send a message to a paddlemaker, May, 2007

  40. Reasonable and moderate? You decide.
    WARNING - This sound recording may be deeply disturbing to some listeners. Do not open this file if children are within listening range.

  41. NEW ZEALAND PARENTAL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT BAN IMMINENT PASSES BY LANDSLIDE!

  42. Handle With Care: The state continues to license a Midstate youth treatment facility where two have died and many others have been abused, By Elizabeth Ulrich, Nashville Scene, November 8, 2007

  43. NORTH CAROLINA - PROPOSED PADDLING BAN DEFEATED IN HOUSE VOTE, 66-50, May 24 2007

  44. RESOLUTION TO REDUCE VIOLENCE BY REFRAINING FROM CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN, Submitted to Boston City Council, May 9, 2007

  45. CALIFORNIA NO-SPANKING ASSEMBLY BILL 755: Failed bid to protect children from assault and battery

  46. Reply to a spanker, By Jordan Riak, April 19, 2007

  47. Australia funds $2.5m anti-smacking campaign, By AAP, The Australian, April 6, 2007

  48. TIME FOR A FEDERAL LAWSUIT OVER PADDLER PROTECTION ACTS?
    Letter to PTAVE from Jeff Charles, February 13, 2007

  49. Rape as punishment

  50. Shocks From the System, By Maia Szalavitz, January 7, 2007

  51. Stop paddling students; Lawmakers should ban corporal punishment statewide, EDITORIAL: The Charlotte Observer, January 4, 2007

  52. Union County, N.C. Weighs Pupil-Beating, A letter from PTAVE to local area education policymakers and media, December 31, 2006

  53. ARE PADDLING SCHOOLS SANCTUARIES FOR SEXUAL PREDATORS? A letter from PTAVE to education department heads in paddling states and their responses

  54. Letter to writer John Balch of the Nashville Leader about the Murfreesboro school paddling incident, By Barbara Neff, November 22, 2006

  55. Stop spanking kids: UN envoy Canada violates rights agreement by letting parents hit their children, Lewis tells forum, By Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist, November 21, 2006

  56. Greece outlaws corporal punishment in the home, SOURCE: www.endcorporalpunishment.org, November 2006

  57. Letter to the Editor of the Muskogee Phoenix By Jordan Riak, November 14, 2006

  58. A letter to promoters of "Teen Help", By Jordan Riak, November 2, 2006

  59. Atty. J. Robert Sheppard, Jr.'s Letter to the Members of the Union County Board of Education, October 30, 2006

  60. Dr. Robert Fathman's letter to Dr. Gil Kliman, October 27, 2006

  61. Child abuse 'widespread', UN says, BBC News, October 12, 2006

  62. PADDLING: A practice that belongs in the dark ages, A letter to the editor by The Rev. Thomas E. Sagendorf, September 27, 2006

  63. Does PTAVE equate teachers to prostitutes, porn stars? September 18, 2006

  64. Ask ten spankers, By Jordan Riak, November, 2001; Revised April 2006

  65. 107 organizations call for an end to corporal punishment in schools of the United States, Open Letter to The President of the United States about the Civil Rights of Schoolchildren

  66. Ex-Yorktown mom takes on N.C. schools over corporal punishment, By Brian J. Howard, The Journal News, September 14, 2006

  67. Letter to Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, By Isabelle Allgood-Neal Member, PTAVE Board of Directors, Spetember 13, 2006

  68. Letter to Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, By Jordan Riak, Exec. Dir., PTAVE, August 31, 2006
    Adobe Reader required

  69. In praise of spanking, Susan Lawrence's response to a defender of spanking, August 18, 2006

  70. PTAVE's proposal to 272 U.S. Catholic Bishops, June, 2006

  71. JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER INVESTIGATED FOR ALLEGED CRUELTY TO CHILDREN, June, 2006

  72. The Harlem Children's Zone; How One Man's Vision To Revitalize Harlem Starts With Children, 60 Minutes, CBS, May 14, 2006

  73. ALL AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT, Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, Save the Children Sweden, 2006

  74. Hostile Mail, An e-mail to Laurie A. Couture, M.Ed, LMHC and her response, May 17, 2006

  75. Peggy Dean's Letter to First Lady Laura Bush, April 26, 2006

  76. COUNSELING OR ABUSE? Pastor causes bruises and welts to teen girl's buttocks [Four articles] May 2006

  77. Protect Children in Chicago, May, 2006

  78. Proposed Resolution to Protect Children, Arlington, Massachusetts, May, 2006

  79. TOUGH LOVE QUACKERY: Maia Szalavitz's presentation to The Cato Foundation, April 20, 2006

  80. Is Desoto County Board of Education asleep at the wheel?, Peggy Dean's Letter to the Editor of the Desoto Appeal , Submitted April 18, 2006

  81. Getting a handle on unruly kids as easy as 1, 2, 3, By Mary Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times, April 6, 2006

  82. A letter to Dr. William C. Harrison, Superintendent, Cumberland County Schools, North Carolina, From Peggy Dean, March 30, 2006

  83. Abusive treatment of children in the name of "Attachment Therapy", Laurie A. Couture's letter to a proponent of so-called AT, March 28, 2006

  84. SPANKING: Theory & Practice; Myth & Reality, (Re: Convicted sex offender, ex-headmaster Terence Lynch) February 26, 2006

  85. Is there a difference between spanking and abuse?, Corredspondence between B.R. and Jordan Riak, January 20, 2006

  86. Peggy Dean's letter to the North Carolina State Board of Education, December 13, 2005

  87. Ban Corporal Punishment North Carolina, October 2005

  88. Why doesn't the law work to protect my child at school? By Yvette Smith, Antioch, California, August 2005

  89. CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: An open letter to the Union County School Board, From John Erker, in the Enquirer Journal, Monroe, NC, September 18, 2005

  90. Pseudotherapy Dangerous to Kids: An alert to NJASP officers, From Jean Mercer, Ph.D. and Linda Rosa, R.N., SOURCE: New Jersey School Psychologist, Fall 2002

  91. Toxic Schools of Texas, By Jordan Riak, 2000

  92. It's a bad lesson to teach our children, Speaking in support of H.B. 1617, California corporal punishment ban, Caroline Wean, Vice President and General Manager of KPIX-TV, 1985 (Allow download time for audio.)

  93. DeSoto Parish School System is Unsafe for Children, June 5, 2005

  94. Sue Nunn's letter to each member of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee and a response from Rep. Paul I. Clymer, February 2005

  95. Dutton's All Wet On Spanking Bill, By Deana A. Pollard, Associate Professor of Law, Texas Southern University February 1, 2005

  96. Sale of spanking tool points up larger issue , By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff, Boston Globe, January 10, 2005 and correspondence about "The Rod" between Dr. Teresa Whitehurst and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

  97. Paddling in Texas -- Letter to the Editor, From Jeffrey L. Charles, The Paris News, December 26, 2004

  98. Paddling in Texas -- Letter to the Editor, From Robert Fathman, Ph.D., The Paris News, December 22, 2004

  99. Time to Get Serious, By Jordan Riak, December 22, 2004

  100. CANADA: S-21, Proposed spanking ban legislation -- Correspondence between a grandparent and a senator, December 7 & 9, 2004

  101. A Letter to The Ombudsman for Children and advice how to help bring about positive change for the children of France, By Olivier Maurel, France, November 30, 2004

  102. Letter to School Board Members in Paddling Districts, By Jordan Riak, November 2004
    (Readers who would like to forward copies of this letter to their school board members, may use the PDF file at http://nospank.net/riak108.pdf.)

  103. Reply to a Christian conservative who claims to be living proof of spanking's benefits , By Jordan Riak, November 11, 2004

  104. Protecting children, one city at a time

  105. Press release: Apology for slavery issued by University of Alabama, but slavery-derived whippings still widespread

  106. Our Work Against "The Rod" - A Call to Action , By Sue and Steve Lawrence

  107. Corporal punishment of children: Think globally, act locally, Ron Goldman's article in the Brookline Tab, May 26, 2004, and his "Article 16," a proposal to the Town Meeting of Brookline Massachusetts.

  108. Treatment of POW's versus schoolchildren, Letter to The Nashville City Paper from Tom Johnson, May 11. 2004

  109. Letter to the Members of the Memphis School Board and Reply to Member Patrice Robinson, Jordan Riak, February 25, 2004

  110. Letter About Child Abuse to Selected Arkansans and Their Responses, Jordan Riak, January 2004

  111. Recall the rod!, By Susan Lawrence, December 2003

  112. Canada Greens Want Repeal of Section 43, SOURCE: Green Party of Canada, Living Platform 2003

  113. Presentation to the Sumner County Board of Education (Tennessee), By Tom Johnson, October 21, 2003

  114. Letter to Taylor D. August, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Dallas, By Isabelle Allgood Neal, February 27, 2004

  115. Presentation to the Beaumont (Texas) School Board, By Isabelle Allgood Neal, October 17, 2003

  116. Dallas ISD Clings to Paddle, August 2003.

  117. Now is the time to fix it! A project in which every thinking, caring person can, and should, participate. WARNING - The images on this page may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. They must not be viewed by children.

  118. ABUSE IN SCHOOLS IS OUT! By Jordan Riak
    HTML version (9 KB)
    PDF version (20 KB)

  119. A spanking debate, almost, Message to the NoSpankList, June 26, 2003

  120. Riak's letter to Dallas Morning News re: "DISD may end paddling", June 18, 2003

  121. A Dark Day for Children in Wyoming, By Jordan Riak, February 27, 2003

  122. Letter from Jordan Riak to California Assembly Member Lois Wolk, March 31, 2003

  123. Letter from Jordan Riak to the Galvestone County Daily News, March 30, 2003. This was prompted by "The spanking judge of Galveston County" which appeared in the Galveston Daily News of the same date.

  124. Letter from Jordan Riak to Missouri Representative Shannon Cooper, about corporal punishment. Copies were sent to all members of both houses of the Missouri state legislature, March 15, 2003.

  125. Letter from Jordan Riak to both houses of the Texas state legislature, about Rep. Harold Dutton's bill, HR 374, to remind parents that spanking is legal. Sent snailmail to all members of both houses of the Texas legislature, March 10, 2003.

  126. Children Forgotten, By Dr. Colin P. Kerr, Pediatrician A letter to The Democrat, October 1, 1982, Winters, California

  127. The duty to protect: Blackstone's doctrine of in loco parentis: A lens for viewing the sexual abuse of students, Todd A. DeMitchell, September 2, 2003

  128. Schoolchildren forced to clean urine from bathroom floor, Letter to Project NoSpank, October 15, 2002

  129. Paddling in Schools, Jordan Riak, New York Times, May 3, 2001

  130. Montana: Three angry letters about abuse in the classroom and its coverup
    • Riak's letter of September 28, 1989 to Governor Stan Stephens,
    • Response to Riak from Marc Racicot, Attorney General of Montana and
    • A threatening letter to Riak from Chronister, Driscol & Moreen, Attorneys at Law, Helena, Montana

  131. Rejected: A plan to protect children in California Correspondence with the California Department of Motor Vehicles concerning the placement of no-spanking notices in field offices, May and June 2002.

  132. Mississippi, Shame on You!
    A letter to Mississippi lawmakers, education and health officials, May 7, 2002

  133. Letter of encouragement to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, May 21 & 22, 2002
    Response to the above letter from State Senator Allyson Y. Schwartz, 4th District, May 31, 2002

  134. Child Abuser or Father of the Year? -- Reflections on the Soto Decision, By Jordan Riak, May 4, 2002

  135. Corporal Punishment: A Shameful Exploitation of Age and Size, By Randy Cox, LCSW, April 23, 2002

  136. Some Thoughts on the Dooley Verdict, By Richard van Abbe, April 19, 2002

  137. Letter to Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Faye Taylor , April 12, 2002

  138. Letter to Louisiana Legislators, April 11, 2002

  139. Letter to Tennessee Legislators, April 10, 2002

  140. Letter to Tennessee Governor Sundquist, April 5, 2002 and The Governor's reply of April 11, 2002

  141. Letter from Dr. Kaye Manson Jeter, Legal Counsel, Tennessee Department of Education to Jordan Riak, April 16, 2002

  142. Jordan Riak's reply to Dr. Kaye Manson Jeter, April 17, 2002

  143. Jeff Charles' comments on the role of education department legal counsels in paddling states, April 18, 2002

  144. The child pornography ring you won't hear about from John Ashcroft: Two news accounts and a commentary by Tom Johnson

  145. Wyoming Legislature commits an anti-child act in broad daighlight!

  146. Experts: Spanking harms children, especially girls, WOMENSENEWS, September 23, 2001

  147. Open letter to Kim Gandy, President, National Organization for Women (NOW) From Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education, February 1, 2002

  148. GEORGE W. BUSH SPEAKS OUT (VERY SOFTLY) ON SCHOOL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

  149. PROJECT NOSPANK FORGES IMPORTANT ALLIANCE

  150. THE BAUMRIND FALLACY

  151. TEEN BUSTING, By Armelle Vincent Arriola, June 2001

  152. PUPIL MANAGEMENT IN TENNESSEE, 2001 Armed, ready and legal, a public school teacher whacks a child's pelvic area with a piece of wood.

  153. TEACHER LIABILITY PROTECTION Everything you need to know about TLP that the government hasn't told you

  154. OPEN LETTER OF WARNING TO EDUCATORS Man awarded $2.5 million for strapping

  155. PARENTS BEWARE -- Schools or "youth training programs" that absolutely should be avoided, Compiled by Jordan Riak, June 2001

  156. SHOULD PADDLING BE BANNED IN SCHOOLS?, By Dr. Ralph S. Welsh. A letter to the editor of teennewsweek.com, May 14, 2001

  157. GOOD POLITICS, BAD LAW, Teacher Protection in Texas

  158. BAN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT TEXAS, An open letter to members of the Texas Legislature

  159. Offensive assault definition--What distinguishes caress from slap in the face?, By Bill Williamson, Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, March 3, 2000

  160. AN UGLY EPISODE IN A MICHIGAN SCHOOL, An exchange of letters between Penny W______ and Jordan Riak, March 2001

  161. MISSISSIPPI EDUCATION GEARING UP IN REVERSE, By Jordan Riak

  162. WHO TEACHES THE PADDLERS AND WHAT DO THEY TEACH THEM? (A query to educators in the paddling states and their responses)

  163. PROJECT DAYLIGHT (U.S. law- and policy-makers' and others' opinions of school corporal punishment in 2001)

  164. Weasel words don't protect children, [Adobe PDF version], An analysis of Minnesota's pseudo-definition of child abuse, By Jordan Riak, December 2000

  165. Notes from another planet, By Pat Briody, June 2000

  166. Vilifying the scapegoad, then and now

  167. It's a bad lesson to teach our children, Speaking in support of H.B. 1617, California corporal punishment ban, Caroline Wean, Vice President and General Manager of KPIX-TV, 1985 (Allow download time for audio.)

  168. Future plans for Berkeley, California? Or your town?

  169. Spanking, sex and Solomon

  170. Deep are the roots, From Adolf Hitler, by John Toland (1976), pp 12-13

  171. Famous spankees

  172. For many more files like the above, see Jordan Riak -- letters, articles, etc. .


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