Smacking ban is needed to protect children, health experts say
Experts from a number of medical specialties, including children's doctors and psychiatrists, said that decades of research shows the 'detrimental effects of physical punishment'.
According to the Children Act 2004, it is unlawful to hit your child, except where it is 'reasonable punishment', and this is judged on a case-by-case basis.
But experts said these laws are 'vague and dangerous'.
Now 13 health organisations are calling on the Government to back an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would remove the 'reasonable punishment' defence from law in England.
They said that the Bill reaching committee stage in the House of Lords is a 'pivotal moment' in the smacking ban campaign.
Baroness Finlay has proposed an amendment to eliminate the 'reasonable punishment' defence.
In an open letter, the organisations said this defence is 'archaic' and 'allows for the physical punishment of children'.
'This leaves them with less protection from assault than adults, an unacceptable disparity in our modern society,' they wrote.
'The evidence is clear: physical punishment is harmful, ineffective, and has no place in a society that values the well-being of its children.'
The organisations called on the Government to 'stand on the side of our children and ensure their fundamental right to safety and protection', adding: 'By removing this archaic defence, we can send a clear message that violence against children is never acceptable.'
Professor Andrew Rowland, child protection officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and a consultant paediatrician, said: 'There is now strong agreement from health and social care professionals that the current laws around physical punishment of children, including smacking, are unjust, vague and ultimately dangerous.
'It is time to bring protection from physical assault for children in line with the protection afforded to adults.
'Every child deserves the best possible start to life, and eradicating physical punishment of children is a key part of that aim.'
Dr Elaine Lockhart, head of the Child and Adolescent Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, added: 'The physical punishment of children is not just cruel, it is dangerous: the practice has been shown to be detrimental to children's mental health and leads to poor developmental outcomes.'
Dr Tamasin Knight, from the British Medical Association's public health medicine committee, added: 'We believe that children should have full legal protection from all forms of physical punishment.'
A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill represents the single biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation.
'This government has prioritised significant reform of the children's social care system, driving better child protection and information sharing between education, health, and social workers to stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks.
'While we are looking closely at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland in relation to smacking, we have no plans to legislate at this stage.
'This government is committed, through our Plan for Change, to ensure children growing up in our country get the best start in life.'
The full list of signatories on the letter are: Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; Faculty of Public Health; Royal Society of Medicine; School and Public Health Nurses Association; Institute of Health Promotion and Education; Institute of Health Visitors; Royal Society for Public Health; British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health; British Medical Association; Royal College of Psychiatrists; Aldey Hey Hospital Charity; Alliance 4 Children and Barnardo's.
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