Is hitting/beating your child considered child abuse and is it punishable by law?

Is the title states, is it a crime, or illegal to beat your child? I am a 16 year old male and i am beat almost every day, or almost every week by my parents. I am talking about with the use of certain things such as shoes, belts, or whatever can reach my parents hands. This left a few marks on my body such as scratches and bruises where i was hit. They justify hitting me by saying that it is a form of discipline, which most certainly does not work on me. My question is that is this punishable by law? Can my parents get in trouble for this if the police were to find out? If so, what kind of trouble would this be, what would be the consequences? Thank you, answers much appreciated.