Smacking ban
A leading European Union official has claimed that a smacking ban would improve parenting in Britain and lead to ‘respect for children’.
In a letter to theDaily Telegraph in response to a column supporting the right of parents to discipline their children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, deputy head of the Council of Europe, said that Britain should outlaw the physical punishment of children.
Ms de Boer-Buquicchio said that removing the right of parents to smack would encourage other forms of discipline, improve parenting skills and reduce the trend towards an increasingly violent society.
Under the Children’s Act 2004, mild smacking is permitted at home, providing that it does not leave a mark.
Maud de Boer-Buquicchio was quick to point out that this did not reflect any plans from the European Court of Human Rights to ban smacking across the EU. However, she said, ‘Banning corporal punishment is the model that the Council of Europe would like countries to follow’.
