Stop Smacking Us
The 'Children are Unbeatable Alliance' is a campaign to make hitting children against the law. They are looking for people, especially children and young people, to get involved in their campaign. 18 yr old Rachael Harrington, a young person involved in the campaign has written an opinion piece and she has decided to share it with InSITE readers.
In the UK, hitting other people is illegal. It’s called assault. That is unless the person you hit is a child. In that case it is called ‘reasonable chastisement’, and so long as you don’t leave a mark, it is still legal. Some parents claim it is their right to hit their children and the state should not intervene. But children are not the property of their parents. To me, this is nonsensical. Surely everyone should have equal protection in the law? If anything, children need extra protection from assault, not less. ‘Smacking’ means to hurt a child deliberately, and this should not be an acceptable thing to do. Violence against anyone should be illegal and the state should intervene to stop people getting hurt.
One person's "reasonable punishment" will seem extreme to others
There are numerous other reasons why hitting children should be banned. Firstly, adults need to set a good example for young children to follow. Hitting someone because they do something you dislike is surely not a something we want children to pick up.
The UK is also under international pressure to give children equal protection. For instance, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the European Committee on Social Rights have both said the UK needs to update its laws. The UK is behind several countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, which have all outlawed corporal punishment. Thirdly, the vague wording of rules over hitting children leaves children open to more serious abuse. One person’s “reasonable punishment” will seem extreme to others. Research has also shown that parents often hit their children harder than they mean to. A complete ban on violence against children removes any ambiguity.
News reports frequently feature statistics on how many parents support smacking. Children’s views are rarely mentioned. This needs to change.
To get involved with this campaign contact Children are Unbeatable:
Phone/text: 07504 738 741
Email: elinor@childrenareunbeatable.org.uk
Website: www.childrenareunbeatable.org.uk/children
If you agree or disagree with this article contact us and let us know what your views are on this subject.
If you need to talk to someone about this issue call:
Childline on 0800 1111 or visit their website at www.childline.org.uk
or visit the NSPPC website www.nspcc.org.uk/under18 for other useful links and how to make sure that your visits to these websites can't be traced by others.
