Corporal punishment of children is practiced in almost every society except for a few, less differentiated traditional societies. It has been banned in roughly thirty countries since 1979. Its negative effects in the short and long term are clear and demonstrated. This research aims at identifying the sociological processes underlying this practice, by means of a qualitative transcultural study and a historical, legal and anthropological study. In conclusion, corporal punishment is given legitimacy by religious models whereby the child is seen as prone to evil, and by secular models of the child as a rebel and a threat to family and social hierarchy. In France, a customary right in contradiction with written law justifies its use within the family. Corporal punishment is linked to the degree of social stratification and to violence against women. It constitutes an element of the domination of children and, as such, is part of a wider pattern of social domination.