Falaka punishment

Blows were generally delivered with a light rod, knotted cord, or lash. The whip is wielded by an expert who can cause the tip so to crack that bleeding wounds are inflicted and the feet are paralyzed with agony. At the same time women are distinctly sensitive to pressure pain. It was also used against rioting students. This subform of flagellation differentiates from most other forms by limiting the strokes to a very narrow section of the body.

Foot whipping

The instant sensations are disproportionally intense compared to the applied force and reflexively radiate through the body.

File:Falaka punishment in Azerbaijani school in Baku.jpg

The beatings typically aim at the vaults of the feet where the soles are particularly pain sensitive, usually avoiding hitting the balls and heels directly but concentrating on the small area in between. Foot whipping was common practice as means of disciplinary punishment in different kinds of institutions throughout Central Europe until the s, especially in German territories. This can be situations of imprisonment and incarceration as well as slavery. Since it causes a high level of suffering for the victim and physical evidence remains largely undetectable for some time, it is frequently used in interrogation and torture.