Physical punishment was banned in Wales in March 2022, and Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2020. But it is not completely banned in England and Northern Ireland
Smacking should be completely outlawed so kids must have the same protection from assault as adults, the UK’s four Children’s Commissioners have said.
In a rare joint statement, they called on the Government to close a legal loophole that allows parents to smack their kids through a defence of “reasonable punishment”.
Pressure is mounting on ministers to change the law through an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords today.
Physical punishment was banned in Wales in March 2022, and Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2020. But it is not completely banned in England and Northern Ireland.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said she was “haunted” by the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was subjected to a two-year campaign of abuse in the run up to her death in August 2023.
READ MORE: Calls to ban parents smacking their kids reignited after huge study
Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, who was jailed for life in December 2024 along with her stepmum Beinash Batool, told police in a call before fleeing the country that he “did legally punish” his daughter and that he “beat her up too much”.
Dame Rachel said: “There is no degree of violence that should ever be acceptable in a child’s life. We still see this happening far too often with horrific consequences.
“A child should never grow up living in fear, especially from the people who are supposed to love and care for them.
“I am haunted by the words of Sara Sharif’s abusive father that he ‘legally punished her’ until she died.
“Let this be Sara’s legacy, that all children in the United Kingdom are given the same protection as anyone else.”
A joint statement from Dame Rachel, alongside Rocio Cifuentes for Wales, Nicola Killean for Scotland and Chris Quinn in Northern Ireland, said loving, well-meaning parents have nothing to fear from a change in the law.
They said: “As Children’s Commissioners we are united in our view that any defence in law that permits assault for the purpose of physical punishment of children is outdated and morally repugnant.
It comes after polling by the NSPCC revealed 90% of social workers, 77% of healthcare professionals, 75% of teachers and 51% of the police think that the law should be changed.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) called for a ban in March, saying that smacking was a “Victorian” punishment that puts children at risk of “really significant physical harm”.
Education minister Stephen Morgan previously said there were no plans to legislate “at this stage” but the Government would look at the evidence from Wales and Scotland.
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