Experiment that puts our children at risk
THE Welsh Government’s bill to remove the defence of reasonable chastisement and outlaw parental smacking will be voted on for the final time this month.
As parents and experts in the fields of sociology, criminology, and child psychology, we are the first to underline the importance of good government policy that helps children. The smacking bill is not an example of this.
As a modern, progressive country Wales already has laws that prohibit violence against children. Any parent or carer who assaults a child faces arrest, prosecution and conviction. The “reasonable chastisement” defence exists to tell the police and the courts that parents who use “reasonable” discipline with their children – a smack on the hand or the back of the legs – are not committing a criminal offence. The defence does nothing to undermine child protection.
The Welsh Government itself states that reasonable chastisement is not harmful to children. The explanatory notes to the smacking bill state, “there is no definitive evidence that ‘reasonable’ physical punishment causes negative outcomes for children”.
If the defence is removed, ordinary mums and dads could be investigated by the police, cautioned, and even convicted of a criminal offence for using the kind of light physical discipline that many of us experienced, or have used with our own children in the past. A criminal conviction could affect a parent’s employment and, by extension, the stability of the family home – putting the welfare of children at risk.
We accept that the government can advise parents not to use “smacking” if it wishes, but using the criminal law as a blunt instrument to prohibit reasonable discipline is a dangerous experiment. We urge AMs to vote against this proposal in the coming days.
Dr Ashley Frawley senior lecturer in social policy, Swansea University Professor Ellie Lee Director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, University of Kent Professor Tommy MacKay consultant child psychologist, former president of the British Psychological Society Professor Robert Larzelere Endowed Professor of Parenting, Oklahoma State University Dr Stuart Waiton lecturer in sociology and criminology, Abertay University Frank Furedi sociologist, commentator and author Anne Atkins novelist, writer and parenting expert pupils in the sixth form, two boys studying science, and me, studying Latin, English and French.
At university I was so envious of the pupils coming from big sixth forms in south Wales where they had been stimulated by such competition and the top state school in south Wales was Lewis School, Pengam.
What is happening to these excellent schools and where is the discipline of pupils, without which there can be no successful teaching?
What are we going to do to control behaviour and lift standards?
Do tell me.
Yvette Roblin retired French teacher Llanishen, Cardiff