„Rózga i karcenie udziela mądrości…” . O społecznym micie przydatności bicia w wychowaniu

The paper presents the problem of violence in upbringing from a historical and contemporary perspective. The reflection is focused on the situation in Poland – both in the past and today. A lot of historical resources indicate that violence in upbringing was a common reality for children in Poland from the Middle Ages and during the following centuries. Today in Poland violence in upbringing is banned in our law and although violent behaviours towards children are less popular and not as severe as in the past, still as a way of disciplining a child violence is in some forms socially accepted. The paper presents the results of the survey carried out in 2015 which is part of the monitoring which has been conducted by the Ombudsman for Children since 2011.