General Chat

Parents in England and Wales who smack children so hard it leaves a mark will face up to five years in jail under new laws in force from today.

Mild smacking is allowed under a "reasonable chastisement" defence against common assault. But any punishment which causes visible bruising, grazes, scratches, minor swellings or cuts can face action. The law is flawed and there should be a total ban on smacking, according to child protection charity the NSPCC. It said the new law will only confuse parents and leave children still at risk of abuse. NSPCC boss Mary Marsh said: "There is a risk parents may choose to hit children on parts of their body where injury is less visible, such as the head, which can cause serious harm. "Defining acceptable ways to hit children should become a thing of the past. "It should be just as wrong to hit a child as it is to hit an adult." The measures were passed in the Children Act last November, when the government suffered a rebellion by 47 Labour MPs who wanted a total ban on smacking. A similar law is already in operation in Scotland. A spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said the new laws were a "common sense" decision to balance child protection with parents' autonomy. She added: "Abuse is abuse and should be prosecuted. We are not going to tolerate criminal violence against children."

How long does the mark have to stay? How on earth will this be enforced? nell

could be more wacks to the head now where it won't show!! Joy

i think parenting lessons in school may help with the problem?

One of the classroom assistants at the school I work in went on a course on physical restraint - to be used on pupils who were likely to injure themselves/other people, and she was told how to hold a child so the bruises won't show! In a lot of abuse cases the marks are on the torso, which you wouldn't see unless you were a doctor/nurse. nell

im a trained nursery nurse but am currently working in a residential home for older people and its a tricky sudject as each case is so individual! how are they going to inforce it?

With all of the laws that have been passed in this country since this government has been in office this has got to be one of the worst for these reasons. 1) Who will regulate and enforce it 2) What about youngsters who bruise easily from a gentle smack, will their parents find themselves in courton a brutality charge with evidence given by some so called expert similar to the experts who have parents imprissoned on flawed and incorrect diagnosis. 3) Will we have children as young as 5 telling their parents to F off. its happening already with children of 8.9.and 10. I have had experiance of it. 4) Where is discipline going ? out of the window the same as it did when corporal punishment was banned in schools. I defy anyone to prove that discipline in this country is better since it was dipensed with. 5) We have always had some parents who will abuse their children but they are avery,very small percentage. The powers that be are intolerant to those parents who know how to rear their offspring and the present law will lead to mass misinterpretation by the politically correct asses. I've lived long enogh to see the tradegy that this country is going through and its about time right thinking people stood up and were counted before someone rules that it is incorrect to say Boo to agoose. My opinion of course while we still have the right to give it.

Being a little frivolous ,, is this law retrospective? Ie children assaulting adults?

Hi Daniel, As a parent I've never smacked my son. There are far better ways of installing good behaviour. He's all grown up now and on his way to a PhD. As a teacher I would never smack a child. And I've never had any discipline problems in my classroom. Big people hitting little people is bullying. Good discipline starts very early with the word, "No." A lot of parents don't seem to have this word in their vocabulary. Children need time with their parents, spoiling them by giving in to their every whim is no substitute for spending time with them and explaining what is acceptable behaviour and what is not. If parents scream and swear at their children they should not be surprised when children imitate their behaviour. If parents hit their kids they should not be surprised if their kids hit other people. Children learn by example. Gwynne