Child slapping ban moves a step closer

THE Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Children’s Rights Alliance have warmly welcomed an amendment to the Children First Bill 2014 which will see the removal of the defence of reasonable chastisement from the common law.

This change means that if a parent or carer is charged with assault or child cruelty, they cannot claim in defence that they were only inflicting ‘reasonable chastisement’ in disciplining their child.

Both children’s organisations have long campaigned to see the removal of this defence to ensure that children have equal protection and rights under the law. They said it sent a strong message, echoing the result of the 2012 Children’s Referendum that “we, as a society, value children and that they must be treated equally before the law”.

A statement from both groups said: “You cannot hit an adult in Ireland. The law should be no different for children. To date, 46 countries in the world have prohibited the corporal punishment of children, including 19 countries in the EU. It is long overdue that Ireland joins them.”

Grainia Long, ISPCC chief executive, commented: “We know from engaging with children on a daily basis through our Childline service that physical abuse is a pervasive and ongoing issue in the lives of some.

“By allowing this defence to continue, society was saying that it is okay to harm a child. This amendment to legislation is a statement of intent and we welcome it wholeheartedly.”

Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said, “Today’s change is a giant leap forward in protecting our children. We know that corporal punishment causes harm to children and it’s ineffective in disciplining them. Children have a right to be protected from all forms of violence and this change now makes them equal before the law.”

In 2014, both children’s organisations jointly published the results of a survey on child discipline which showed that almost three quarters of respondents did not think that slapping was an effective way to discipline a child, while two thirds believed that there is not enough information available to parents relating to alternative methods of discipline.