Mental health experts in Nigeria have raised alarms over the practice of flogging and corporal punishment of children, warning that such actions inflict severe psychological harm and can lead to long-term anxiety disorders.
The psychiatrists described the action as “barbaric and psychologically destructive,” saying that many children subjected to these punishments develop trauma, low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health issues later in life.
Spiritual Cleansing or Psychological Abuse?
Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Yesiru Kareem also condemned the use of corporal punishment in prayer houses and deliverance centres, explaining that children are often beaten under the pretext of casting out evil spirits or correcting “spiritual stubbornness.”
Dr. Kareem said:
“The matter of flogging, physical abuse, and other myriads of physical punishments, particularly for the vulnerable, especially children, and especially with a spiritual cleansing or spiritual context, is highly disturbing. This is because spirituality should actually help humanity. It is meant to correct some of the errors that we have. But if it now comes with errors as a problem…this is akin to what we see today in our so-called spiritual homes, where excessive beating, flogging, and other forms of physical torture are now the order of the day. Apparently, this would not be without several forms of psychological consequences—some immediate, some in the short term, and of course, long-term psychological effects.”
He added: “Some may develop low self-esteem, and to cope, resort to substance abuse, which can then lead to addiction. This is because physical punishment alters brain function and can disrupt the developing brain of children and young adults.”
Dr. Kareem also emphasised the role of culture in seeking care.
“The culture of every culture should be to seek orthodox care when it is available. That is why the government strives to make care accessible. So if in this age, we still depend on beating people as healing, then there is a problem, he said.
He warned: “If we are not careful, we are going to start normalising violence, aggression, intimidation, and abuse, and this will do nothing but further escalate that harm.”
Discussing the long-term impact of repeated trauma, he stated:
“When somebody keeps experiencing trauma repeatedly, it becomes complex PTSD, which causes deeper psychological damage than single-event PTSD. This is what happens to children who are continuously flogged for any purpose, and worse still, for spiritual cleansing.”
Long-Term Effects on Children’s Development
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Modupeola Adebayo explained the vulnerability of children’s developing brains.
“During childhood, the brain is like wet clay—it can be shaped, but it can also be permanently scarred. When a child is flogged, humiliated, or physically assaulted under the guise of spiritual deliverance, the brain does not see it as cleansing. The brain interprets it as danger, as trauma, and it activates a stress response that floods the child’s system with stress hormones. When this happens repeatedly, it rewires how the brain develops,” she said.
Dr. Adebayo highlighted the behavioural and emotional consequences.
“These children may start having nightmares, flashbacks, bedwetting, anxiety, fearfulness, loss of trust, poor concentration, and poor school performance. As they grow older, many slip into depression, substance abuse, or violent behaviour because the trauma they suffered is still shaping their behaviour unconsciously,” she stated.
She further condemned parents who resort to harsh treatments.
“Instead of seeking professional help, they carry them to places where they are chained, beaten, or starved, thinking it will drive out demons. What they do not realise is that they are driving their children deeper into psychological darkness. They are damaging their self-worth, their emotional security, and their trust in the world,” she said. “We must stop labelling these children as witches or demons. They are not cursed. They are children who may be struggling and need help, not harm. The truth is that children can be guided without being bruised. They can be disciplined without being destroyed. And they can be corrected without being crushed.”
Both psychiatrists urged parents and caregivers to seek evidence-based, professional mental health support for children, rather than resorting to violence or superstition, while also advocating for the strict enforcement of child protection laws and the Child Rights Act.
