Forum Brief: Smacking

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: "We welcome moves by campaigners inside and outside parliament to offer children the same legal protection from physical harm as adults and hope the government will take this opportunity to embrace reform as part of a more comprehensive statement of parental rights and responsibilities.

"The government fears being accused of 'nanny-statism', and ministers are right to emphasise the importance of supporting parents as the best means of protecting children.Parents need to feel that government and wider society respects and values their role. Ending the legal right to hit children need not be a measure against parents; it should be just one element of a package offering them and their children new alternatives and additional capabilities to promote positive behaviour and healthy child development.

"Changing the law to end the legal right to use physical punishment would neither criminalise parents on mass nor end all child abuse overnight, but it would offer children – the least powerful and most vulnerable group in society – the same legal and moral protection from harm as adults. We should teach children that hitting is wrong, and we won't do this by patronising them and treating them as inferior. On a practical level, smacking tends to be ineffective by failing to address the causes of negative behaviour. Surely, if presented as part of a package of measures to protect children and support parents, this is a change in the law that can be embraced by everyone with children's best interests at heart."

Forum Response: National Deaf Children's Society

Susan Daniels, chief executive of the NDCS, says: "Whether a child is deaf or hearing, parents need to be able to make themselves understood and ensure boundaries are clear, but smacking is not an effective or acceptable way of doing this.

"Communication, whether a deaf child signs or communicates orally, can be more complicated for families with deaf children and at times it can be frustrating for both the child and the parents.  Charities such as NDCS exist to support families at these difficult times."

Forum Response: British Youth Council

Richard Angell, vice-chair of the British Youth Council, said; "We believe that children and young people should have the same protection from being hit that adults have.  The current legislation sends out a dangerous message to both parents and children that assault, on whatever scale, is acceptable.  When it comes to hitting or "smacking" a child, there is no excuse.

The amendment passed to allow "mild" smacks still falls short of this protection.  It simply replaces the "reasonable chastisement" defence with another obstacle to equal protection, leaving people even more confused whilst still allowing children to be legally hit.

"It's a shame on such an important and sensitive debate that the views of children and young people are not being sought.  This goes against the government's stated desire to listen to young people and the imminent creation of the Children's Commissioner who will be their champion.  We're part of a coalition of organisations helping children and young people to get their views on this issue heard and be counted for.  We'll now be pushing for MPs to step in and take action to give children the same protection that adults have."