Celebrities including Sir Michael Caine, Alan Shearer, Natalie Dormer, and Samantha Morton have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban parents from smacking their children in England. They argue that the current law, which allows for "reasonable punishment," provides children with less protection than adults and sends a dangerous message that hitting a child can be excused. The letter, coordinated by the NSPCC and supported by other children's charities, states that smacking is harmful and has no place in modern England.
The campaign aims to introduce a ban through an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently progressing through Parliament. Campaigners emphasize that physical punishment of children is never reasonable and that the law needs to be changed to reflect this, making it clear that hitting children is unlawful and harmful. Paediatric experts have also highlighted the detrimental effects of physical punishment on children's physical, mental, and emotional health, citing robust scientific evidence.
In England, while it is unlawful to hit a child, a defense of "reasonable punishment" exists under Section 58 of the Children Act 2004, which is judged on a case-by-case basis and is not explicit... download the app to read more
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