United Nations urge UK to make smacking children illegal

Do you agree that the UK should pass laws to ban parents from smacking their children?

United Nations urge UK to make smacking children illegal

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

Existing laws in England and Wales allow children to be given "reasonable punishment" as long as implements are not used and no injury is caused such as bruises or cuts.

However that could be set to change, as the United Nations have said that smacking should be made illegal.

In a new report, the UN stated the UK should put an end to smacking "all settings including the home" and "encourage non-violent forms of discipline instead".

They added that the UK government should take practical steps to stop parents from smacking, including legislative measures "where appropriate”.

The report also suggested the government should "conduct public information campaigns to raise awareness about its harmful effects".

However, according to the BBC, a government spokeswoman has since made it clear that they did not wish to "criminalise parents for issuing a mild smack".

Do you think there is anything wrong with smacking your child, if it doesn’t cause injury?

Or do you agree that smacking should be made illegal?

Let us know via Twitter (@CloserOnline) or Facebook now.

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