The UK's reluctance to prohibit smacking has raised concern at the United Nations. In a report published last week that looked at the progress Britain has made since signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, the UN committee on the rights of the child said it deeply regretted that the Westminster Government had persisted in retaining the defence of 'reasonable chastisement' and had taken no significant action towards outlawing all corporal punishment of children in the family. NSPCC director Mary Marsh said the 19th century law of 'reasonable chastisement' sent out a 'dangerous message to parents that hitting children is acceptable and safe, which it clearly is not'. The Scottish Executive recently dropped proposals to ban the smacking of under-threes.
The UK's reluctance to prohibit smacking has raised concern at the United Nations. In a report published last week that looked at the progress Britain has made since signing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, the UN committee on the rights of the child said it deeply regretted that the Westminster Government had persisted in retaining the defence of 'reasonable chastisement' and had taken no significant action towards outlawing all corporal punishment of children in the family. NSPCC director Mary Marsh said the 19th century law of 'reasonable chastisement'
sent out a 'dangerous message to parents that hitting children is acceptable and safe, which it clearly is not'. The Scottish Executive recently dropped proposals to ban the smacking of under-threes.
