Minister for children Beverley Hughes recently explained why the Government supports 'reasonable punishment' as a defence for smacking (The Minister's View, 6 November). I was disappointed with her familiar portrayal of this position. There is no respect for children in their routine humiliation and hurt through the many 'mild smacks' that result from a 'commonsense view' that smacking should not be a crime.
Confusion took over as the minister referred to last year's consultation on the effectiveness of the 'reasonable punishment' (section 58) amendment to the Children Act. She claims that most parents surveyed 'would not support a ban (on smacking)'. But 588 out of the 831 parents who took part called for such a ban. That's 70 per cent of parents: a resounding majority.
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