Birching is a form of corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically applied to the recipient's bare buttocks, although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders.
Judicial birching of a delinquent; Germany, 17th century
A magistrate's committal for birching of two children dated 4 December 1899 displayed in West Midlands Police Museum, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England
Birching in a women's prison, US (ca. 1890)
1839 caricature by George Cruikshank of a school flogging
A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or paddling. When it is inflicted on adults, it may be inflicted on prisoners and slaves, and can involve methods such as whipping with a belt or a horsewhip.
Birching, Germany, 17th century
Depiction of a flogging at Oregon State Penitentiary, 1908
Foot whipping an offender, Persia, 1910s
Corporal punishment in a women's prison in the United States (ca. 1890)