Strong Parental Support For Anti-Smacking Law
Almost three quarters of the public support law reform to give children the same protection against assault as adults, according to a new MORI poll released today.
The poll findings are released today at a London conference, organised by "Children are Unbeatable!", an alliance of over 200 organisations seeking to end the physical punishment of children.
73 per cent of those polled, rising to 78 per cent amongst parents with dependent children, back a change in the law - if they can be sure that parents will not be prosecuted for trivial smacks.
Other findings in the poll included:
- Parents with dependent children were asked whether or not they regretted smacking their children. Almost twice as many say they regret smacking (44%) than not (23%.)
- A large majority (89%) think that parents should not be allowed to smack babies under the age of one year.
- Over half of parents polled (52%) say they hope that if their children have children of their own they will not smack them.
- Most people (93%) believe that parents should not be allowed to hit children with belts sticks or other implements.
"These poll findings give an important message that hitting children is not acceptable and makes parents feel uncomfortable" says Liz Garrett, Policy and Practice Co-ordinator, for Barnardo's and a spokesperson for the alliance.
Respondents were informed that in the eight European countries in which hitting children is already against the law parents have not been prosecuted for trivial smacks of their children. The aim of "Children are Unbeatable!" is to promote positive discipline rather than to criminalise parents.
"Where parents are sure that giving their children trivial smacks will not result in people being dragged before the Courts, the survey showed that the majority of parents are comfortable with a change in the law to end the physical punishment of children." Liz Garrett added.
Broadcaster and journalist Anna Ford will open the "Children are unbeatable!" conference which will include a key-note speech by Judith Karp, Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. In 1995 this international human rights monitoring committee formally recommended that the UK should prohibit all corporal punishment.
Other presentations at the Conference will include:
- The effects of banning smacking in Scandinavian countries;
- Children's perspectives on smacking;
- What's wrong with smacking ? - a review of recent research by Penelope Leach;
- The alliance's proposals for legal reform and education programmes to end all corporal punishment of children.
Technical details
"Children are unbeatable!" is an alliance of over 200 organisations and many eminent individuals seeking legal reform to give children the same protection under the law as adults on assault and promoting positive, non-violent discipline.
The alliance includes the following organisations; Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Methodist Church, Barnardo's, Catholic Children's Society, Community Service Volunteers, NSPCC and Save the Children Fund (UK).
Campaign backers include Anna Ford, Sir William Utting, Robert Kilroy-Silk, Clare Rayner, Allan Levy QC, and Dr Miriam Stoppard.
Technical details
MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 1,035 adults across 84 constituency based sampling points between 8-10 January 1999. Data have been weighted to reflect the national population profile.
