Abstract:
Coercion involves two parties: a coercer and the coerced. A coercer gets another agent/s to do or not to do something. The coerced is targeted, whose freedom and responsibility is diminished. Coercion is pro tanto wrong and violation of basic rights (Pennock and Chapman, 2009). Very few believe that it is always unjustified since no society or family could function without some authorized users of coercion. It helps keep the bloody minded and recalcitrant from harming others, and seems to be an indispensable technique for rearing children. Despite its usefulness, coercion is viewed as primitive. It sometimes has devastating effects and falls into a domain reflecting philosophical, political and ethical concerns. There is little sustained scholarly attention on this subject especially in the context of rearing-caring children and that too, the ones with special needs.