Tawse Tawse The tawse, sometimes formerly spelled taws (the plural of Scots taw, a thong of a whip) is an implement used for corporal punishment. It was used for educational discipline, primarily in Scotland, but also in schools in the English cities of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Manchester and Walsall. A tawse consists of a strip of leather, with one end split into a number of tails. The thickness of the leather and the number of tails is variable. Many Scottish saddlers made tawses for local schoolmasters. The official name "tawse" was hardly ever used in conversation by either teachers or
Corporal punishment punishment of children by parents (or other adults) is outlawed in all settings in 54 nations and 3 constituent nations. States that have completely prohibited corporal punishment of children are listed below (in chronological order): For a more detailed overview of the global use and prohibition of the corporal punishment of children, see the following table. Domestic corporal punishment, i.e. the punishment of children by their parents, is often referred to colloquially as "spanking", "smacking" or "slapping." It has been outlawed in an increasing number of countries, starting with Sweden in 1966. In some other countries, corporal punishment is legal,