Ban on corporal punishment towards children

crazyH

I was smacked and I did smack. I have not held it against my mother and neither have my children held it against me. Just yesterday, I had an impromptu message from my adult daughter, telling me what a good job I did as a mother, bringing up 3 children, with no outside help (my family were thousands of miles away) and a ‘philandering husband’ (my words, not hers)..
So I must have done something right.

Many in my parents generation would smack, I didn’t hold it against my parents either because they were only doing what their parents had done as a means to discipline children. But I refrained from smacking mine because my OH was physically abused mercilessly by his father, and we just couldn’t resort to any kind of physical chastisement for that reason.
Am glad things have moved on though.

I didn’t know smacking was still allowed in England until I read this latest news about a ban.

When considering the dreadful case of Sara Sharif, a ban may not have been much deterrent to her father and family but knowing it was illegal might have empowered the neighbours to report it, given that they have testified to hearing smacking sounds coming from Sara’s house.

I thought this ban had been in place for a long time, although maybe I’m confusing it with the document we had to sign when I started teaching which said we would not use physical punishment including smacking.
It’s a good idea in theory, but as others have pointed out, it won’t stop the damage done in the cases we hear of in the news.
Why can’t we stop that?

I’d like further details rather than just an announcement. Perhaps some info from Scotland if the ban is already in place there.

e.g.
Who is going to report it, how, and to whom?
e.g. An online report with the assurance that the reporter’s details will not be revealed?
Who is going to be responsible for dealing with reports - social workers already in limited numbers?

Police-in equally limited numbers and already under attack for their violence?

What will the outcome be?
A fine?
Imprisonment?
Removal of children?

I was NEVER smacked as a child neither at home or school I never smacked my children and my grandkids have never been smacked Thankfully
Making it illegal is very much needed I d glad this is being brought in
You are all correct it wouldn’t have saved little Sara but maybe it could have brought the hideous family to court easier and hopefully it may save other little ones

I smacked my children. They sometimes say they found it funny as it didn't hurt at all. I don't regret doing it. I did smack my grandchild once and I do regret doing this.

I find some of the comments here very misplaced.

This little girl died so tragically because there was a lack of supervision by social services and school. It is always the same. There will be a serious case review, guidelines will be issued and boxes will be ticked and after a while it will happen again.

We need more specialists and more family support workers, more accountability and more child protection legislation.
Let's hope that happens.

The bottom line is most people never give it a thought until something serious happens.

maddyfour

Whilst I think we all agree that smacking is wrong, the OP referenced the sad case of Sara Sharif. Do any of you really believe that this poor child would not have been beaten to death if smacking was illegal?

It would have happened regardless with those cruel parents.
I agree it’s time it was stopped ( smacking) but sadly there are many cases of child cruelty that will still go on.It will be the good parents only who take note of the ban.

I have to add that a ban on corporal punishment will be followed by the majority of people who probably were already following it because corporal punishment has been regarded as unacceptable in England for a long time now, indeed I like many others thought there was already a ban in place.
But there will always be a minority who will physically abuse children, that won't stop, and that is why we desperately need to fund more social workers and police departments dealing with child abuse, as well as publicising anonymous hotlines which the public can ring to report anything they feel isn't right about the way a child is being treated, many calls will come to nothing, and there will be hoaxers, but if just one child is saved it is worth it.

A ban on smacking would make it much simpler for social workers implementing safeguarding procedures. As things stand, there is no clear cut off between smacking (legal) as a form of discipline, and beating your children ‘I was disciplining him/ her but I just went a bit too far - I was stressed/ angry/ overwhelmed etc’. Smacking/ hitting/ beating are all the same thing, along a spectrum, and as things stand parents can always use the ‘discipline’ excuse.

It is illegal to leave marks on your children, but every time any parent raises their hand they risk that happening.

Does anyone come across the constant comments on Facebook in which people say how a good clip around the ear never did them any harm and lack of smacking is the problem with young people now ? The only girl in my daughter’s class that hit other children was one whose stepfather used to smack her. All smacking teaches children is it’s ok to hit people.

Children learn parenting style from parents, and therefore hitting children becomes inter generational.
I wonder what motivates a parent to hit a child. Is it really to try and teach the child acceptable behaviour, or as a last resort when parent loses control?

MayBee70
The only girl in my daughter’s class that hit other children was one whose stepfather used to smack her.

That’s worrying. By that reckoning I have had many classes over the years, even till 2024, where lots of the children must have been /are being smacked at home, in order for them to justify their hitting, elbowing and kicking others in school.
None of them have told me that they do it because they get smacked or hit or elbowed or pushed or kicked at home.
We are very alert to behaviours which might indicate problems with home life, not just bruises, though I’ve seen some of those.

Social workers face an uphill struggle when it comes to safeguarding children with far more obvious evidence of abuse than a smack.

Tragically too many children are returned to the care of parents who continue to abuse them.

I'm sure many people who grow up in violent households or where the father acts like the big hard man all the time often turn out to be aggressive and violent as well. I still see one man, who is now in his seventies and doesn't look much, who was like this and used to beat up his wife and whose answer to everything was raise his fists. Not sure how his son turned out as they moved to another part of town when he was a boy, but if he is an aggressive, violent bully like his father, it wouldn't surprise me.

If he is an aggressive, violent bully like his father it wouldn't only be because he was smacked as a child it would be because he witnessed the abuse of his mother, and was more than likely on the receiving end of his father's fists.

I think I smacked my oldest son once and soon realised I smacked him because I was angry and that was wrong. If I could not control my anger how could a child control their behaviour? Never right to smack any child.

I think smacking shows a lack of control. I don't think it is acceptable at all ever.

This little girl died so tragically because there was a lack of supervision by social services and school.
No, no, no
She died because her father beat her to death as (in his eyes) punishment .
He felt entitled to as her father.
Her mother and other family members were either helpless or unwilling to stand up for her.
Don’t blame schools and social services- he. beat. her. to. death.

mumofmadboys

I think smacking shows a lack of control. I don't think it is acceptable at all ever.

Yes

I wasn’t abused as a child but remember quite vividly being hit in the lug by my mum, sometime outside, the humiliation I felt has stayed with me through out life- I would never smack a child.
Mum says it never did you any harm 😩

Mt61

I wasn’t abused as a child but remember quite vividly being hit in the lug by my mum, sometime outside, the humiliation I felt has stayed with me through out life- I would never smack a child.
Mum says it never did you any harm 😩

To this day I hate seeing mothers smacking or shouting, or using fowl language towards their children.
Glad it’s going to stamped out.

He did do that

He did do that and he is a monster but it's possible she was failed by others too.

If smacking is not allowed there is nothing to take too far.

I don't think using the case of the poor child who was subject to abuse for 2 years is appropriate. Does anyone think that people who would torture a child like that are suddenly going to think they mustn't do it because corporal punishment is illegal? Beating a child to death is illegal, burning a child multiple times with a hot iron is illegal, that didn't stop them.

Stopping corporal punishment is something many people will want but I feel Sara should be left out of it, she didn't get a smack on the bottom or her hand smacked she was abused and tortured.

But maybe future generations won't smack their children because they were and think it is ok