In Canada, it is getting almost impossible to physically chastize your children.
A few years ago a man was arrested for spanking his son after his son had slammed a car door on his sister's fingers. He was charged with child endangerment and child abuse. He unfortunately was an American and had to return to Canada for his trial.
Child services have taken the protection of children to the point they are endangering children because the children can't learn right from wrong. I am not saying that spanking is good but it didn't kill me and I was always pushing the envelope. Time-outs can work, verbal chastisement might work or might be interpreted as verbal abuse too.
There are laws on the books, in Ontario for sure, that you can't hit your child. Even spanking inside your home where nobody can see can get you into trouble. Teachers routinely ask children to call child welfare if they are hit at home. Homes are visited by (sometimes newly graduated (young)) social workers and decide if the family should be allowed to keep the children.
I know here in China, I have had students tell me that their friends have been beaten by their fathers for getting a low mark at school. To them a 'B' is a low mark. One of my student's fathers wouldn't buy him a computer because he came 9th in his class on a test. He only got 92% on the test. He was in Grade 6, (11 yrs old).
Last night my student, she is in Grade 7 now, said she must get a high mark in 'skipping' for PE class. She must be able to skip xyz times in 1 minute. I can't remember the exact number. She said it was about 2.5 jumps per second. This test is worth 10 marks. There is another test for another skill in Grade 8 worth 20 marks, and another one in Grade 9. The total is 60 marks. The PE marks are added to their scholastic marks to determine what High School she can get into. She explained if she does poorly in PE she must do even better in her academic work. A student that gets 60 marks in PE and does poorly in academic may beat her to getting into the #1 High School even though he did poorly in all his academic courses. I suggested she work on her skipping as it was 'short term pain for long term gain', and explained what that expression meant.
Man oh man I am glad I didn't have to go to school here.