We’ve written quite a bit about smacking in the last few days, first with Chris Grayling’s announcement that he smacked his children and condones it, then shortly after we published some responses from charities who were kind enough to tell us what they thought and quite some time earlier, we wrote about David Lammy MP’s own views on smacking.
Here at Researching Reform, we thought it might be interesting to see the smacking debate in another light, which is why we’ve created two sister petitions on the subject. You can find the petitions which we’ve started below, one for smacking and one against.
The petition asking the government to ban all forms of physical punishment, including smacking reads as follows:
“Smacking a child is currently legally allowed in the UK, despite laws which make it illegal for adults to physically assault each other in this way.
The 2004 Children’s Act allows the physical punishment of children, as long as the act leaves no “bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches”.
Yet, all forms of physical punishment, including smacking, are prohibited in full-time independent schools, in children’s homes, in local authority foster homes and Early Years provision. So why are parents still allowed to physically punish their children?
Research shows that smacking is not only ineffective when it comes to disciplining children, but it is also harmful to them.
This petition asks the government to remove this harmful double standard and bring smacking laws in line with all other forms of physical punishment.
We request that the government makes the physical punishment of children, including smacking, illegal.”
The petition asking the government to allow all forms of physical punishment, including smacking, reads as follows:
“Smacking children is currently allowed in the UK, as long as the act does not leave “bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches”.
Parents have the right to discipline their children as they see fit, as long as the discipline does not lead to the physical symptoms outlined above.
Whilst research exists which cautions against physical discipline, many children who experience it growing up do not suffer any after effects of the technique and go on to live full, adult lives.
We ask that the government expand the current laws to allow all forms of physical punishment, not just smacking, to remain and or be legalised.”
So, please, sign a petition, either one, and let’s get the ball rolling on an issue that deserves our attention.
Petition Against Physical Punishment, Including Smacking
Petition for Physical Punishment, Including Smacking
(The petition calling on the government to legalise all forms of physical punishment has been created on Survey Monkey, rather than the No.10 EPetition website. We were given nebulous reasons for the rejection of this petition when we tried to file it with them, so unfortunately we have had to go elsewhere to publish it).
Of course parents should NOT smack their children,but of course if a parent smacks a child without injuring it that parent should NOT be jailed and that child should NOT be sent off to strangers to be adopted.
Life should never be seen in clearly defined black and white terms when so many areas including smacking are grey and uncertain due to large bodies of opinion being both in favour and also opposed.
Tolerance of those who disagree with you would be a great lesson to learn for politically correct fanatics .But “Don’t hold your breath ……!”
Nobody is talking about jail or adoption here FA. Please do read the posts and the actual petitions. Thank you.
“Nobody is talking about jail or adoption here FA”
But surely the smacking ban will give the child protection agencies more legal foothold to interfere with families?
Between the two extremes — smacking is legal and smacking is outlawed – I opt for “undesirable but should not be banned”.
Thank you for your comment. We already have bans in place for all other types of physical punishment, so this post is asking whether we should include smacking. Whether child protection services implement the law effectively is an important issue, but is not the central theme of this post. We are not concerned, in this debate, with controversies surrounding competence (we have written about this often on our blog), rather, this post aims to ask a fundamental question: should smacking be grouped in with other types of banned physical punishment, or not? That is why we have two petitions.
And of course, if you think it is undesirable but should not be banned, then you would naturally fit into the latter petition, which allows smacking as physical punishment.
EXACTLY neither petition should be signed; I thought the inference was clear thatsmacking should be tolerated but certainly not encouraged as it would be given the wording of the “for” petition.The corollary to a petiition “against” ie making smacking illegal even if no mark is left ,would be that transgressors would be jailed or have their children adopted as often happens now if even a small bruise is left.
Oh, FA. Not necessarily. Smacking could be a fineable offence, for example. It’s a discussion I am choosing to have on the blog. Smacking is a live issue. We’re having a debate on it. You can join the debate, or, if you feel there is no issue to answer, leave the debate for others to engage with.
Dear R and R. I WISH to be controversial. We are discussing the pros and cons of smacking children. Long ago my son deliberately pushed the arm on my stereo record player across my newest Moody Blues Record. At that time the record cost a fortune and the stylus dislocated. The LP was scratched forever and was destroyed. I could not afford to buy a replacement. I was furious BUT NEVER smacked my child.
To anybody who has read this far. What should happen to the parents who allow the genital mutilation of their daughters in England. What greater ABUSE can there be. WHY do Social Services remain silent about this great CRUELTY.. Surely EVERY child who has suffered this VILE DEED should be taken into Care because of its “future emotional harm”.