Members of the Children are Unbeatable! Alliance, which includes Save the Children Scotland and Children First, argued that the Scottish Executive's proposal to outlaw smacking of under-threes did not go far enough. They warned that permitting adults to hit older children with the legal defence of 'reasonable chastisement' disregarded children's human rights, perpetuated violence such as bullying at school, and was inconsistent with a modern democracy.
Their view was endorsed by the British Psychological Society's written evidence to the Justice 2 Committee, which pointed out that there appeared to be a direct association between the frequency of slapping and spanking during childhood and a lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse.
In a separate submission, Barnardo's Scotland, a member of the Alliance, said, 'The main purpose of the law reform has to be about changing people's attitudes, not punishing parents. Experience from countries that have already implemented a ban, such as Sweden, shows us that legal reform can make an impact on attitude and practice. It has not resulted in an increase of parents being taken to court or of social work intervention.'
Not all submissions to the Justice 2 committee supported a total ban. There were conflicting views from religious groups, with Christian Action Research and Education supporting parents' right to use 'limited physical punishment' within 'a context of parental love and affirmation of the individual child'. The Churches Network for Non-violence, however, expressed concern 'about the effect on children's rights of the opinions and practices of minority religious groups and individuals who condone physical punishment as part of Christian parenting'.
The Scottish Parent-Teacher Council's submission to the committee cited its own survey of parents, which found that many parents questioned how a ban on smacking could be implemented and policed. It concluded, 'We would like to make it clear that the issue has never been whether parents should or should not smack their children. The issue is whether this area of the parent-child relationship should be governed by law where those who do not comply are criminalised.'
The evidence is available on www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/just2.htm.
