Smacking: Paediatricians call for ban in England and Northern Ireland

The Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health (RCPCH) has called for the removal of the “reasonable punishment” defence that allows parents in England and Northern Ireland to justify physical punishment of their child.Any kind of physical abuse inflicted by an adult on an adult is not tolerated in law, but children in England and Northern Ireland do not have the same legal protection. Scotland removed the reasonable punishment defence from law in 2020, followed by Wales in 2022. Around the world 65 countries now ban the physical punishment of children.The RCPCH makes the case for equal protection from assault in a report that highlights the “overwhelming” negative effects on health of smacking, hitting, and slapping children.1 An evidence review concluded that children who experienced physical punishment were 2.6 times as likely to develop poorer mental health as children who did not experience such punishment. They were also 2.3 times…
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