Charities and the Children’s Commissioner for England are calling for smacking to be criminalised in England following the move in Scotland to ban the form of discipline.
Last week, Scotland became the first country in the UK to approve new legislation which will mean parents face criminal charges if they are found guilty of smacking their children.
Scotland joins 57 other countries across the world where physical punishment of children is illegal, including Ireland, which banned smacking in 2015. Wales is due to follow in Scotland’s footsteps.
In England and Northern Ireland, where parents are allowed to use ‘reasonable chastisement’, there are no plans to criminalise smacking.
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