The physical damage caused by corporal punishment will be temporary, but what about the psychological harm brought about by administering, receiving or witnessing it? It is probable that most of the readers and contributors here have a fetishistic interest in corporal punishment, although they may not admit it to themselves.
The harm comes not so much from the memory but the fact that illicit desire for CP is sparked.
This in adult life is unrealizable or expensive to realize shall we say.
Massive frustration results in the libido ego and this in itself is harmful, its called repression. the same thing happens to gays.
People with a fetish for corporal punishment with out indulging in their sport and the opportunities to do so are few and far between