Is it time to outlaw the smacking of children in Australia?
The outdated form of discipline is already banned in 65 countries.
Contributors
Breaking News
For the second time in less than 12 months, Parenting and Child Psychology experts have called for a national ban on parents smacking their children in Australia.
New research has confirmed that such methods of corporal punishment can double the chance of children developing mental conditions like anxiety and depression as they grow into early adulthood.
Reports have also concluded that these disciplinary methods can result in a disconnect between parents and children, increase the likelihood of anti-social behaviour and domestic violence in adult life and lead to other long-term negative effects.
Though currently banned in many nations around, in Australia it is still legal for a parent to physically discipline a child within 'reasonable limits', though the term is somewhat subjective and legislation varies between states.
There are clearly generational factors at play, with studies showing those aged over 65 nearly three times more likely to support corporal punishment than those aged 16-24, likely shaped by their own experiences both at home and in schools, when such punishment could be meted out by teachers and administrators.
"If it's illegal to hit your neighbour, their child or their dog, why is it legal to hit your child?" asked Melbourne University Professor Sophie Havighurst, per the Guardian.
"Why don't children have the same right to protection from violence as adults?
“If that’s what you’re learning from childhood, that your parent – who loves you – uses power and force and physical violence when they don’t like what you’ve done, it sets kids up to have that understanding of intimate relationships as they go into adolescence and adulthood.
“We do know there’s a greater risk of a child who’s hit in childhood with later involvement in domestic violent relationships – both being a victim of and perpetrating violence.”
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has regularly criticised Australia's lack of movement on the issue. The government has long seemed unprepared to move on the matter.
Smacking a child is now illegal in 65 countries, including but not limited to Denmark, the Netherlands, German, South Sudan, Cape Verde, Israel and New Zealand.
What do you think? Should a parent have the final say in how their child is disciplined? Or is it time for legislation to remove the concept many view as outdated?
