Calls intensify for smacking ban

It is being reported by the Daily Mail today that there are growing calls for smacking to be banned in England and Wales. This follows some research published in the Lancet claiming that physical punishment of children is both ineffective and harmful.

We are completely opposed to any form of violence against children, but we also believe that existing laws provide the required protection; it is this legislation that should be enforced rather than introducing new rules.

Lowering the bar for what constitutes unlawful behaviour will lead to the authorities being flooded with cases, leaving them struggling to identify genuine child abuse and also criminalising essentially good parents.

Physical punishment of children is a conscience issue for Christians; some believe the Bible mandates it, others are fiercely opposed to it. For myself, I do not believe it is essential but think that parents should be have the freedom to use reasonable chastisement as part of the way they teach and train their children.

I cannot comment on the strength of the research, but my experience over many years is that families who exercise loving discipline which might include physical punishment have children who are well prepared for adulthood and who are less likely to exhibit poor behaviour.

Of course, parents who resort to violent, disproportionate, anger-fuelled chastisement are likely to produce children who go on to manifest those same characteristics, but it is unfair and misleading of campaigners to describe loving, appropriate punishment as assault.

This seems to be one more example of a worrying trend that has developed in recent years where the state increasingly wants to assert its right to take over decisions properly belonging to parents.

Graham Nicholls is Director of Affinity