Language, meaning and measure: Community perspectives and experiences of physical punishments and the transforming child protection and child rights landscapes in Tanzania.

Background: Over the last decade Tanzania has become recognized as a regional leader in addressing issues of violence affecting children. Despite global partnerships and national initiatives, physical punishments remain legally sanctioned and broadly socially supported as part of responsible childrearing.

Objective: This research aimed to gain insights into community perspectives and experiences of physical punishments in children's upbringings and how community derived meaning and measurement of particular acts relate with global rights-based conceptualizations of physical violence against children.