Children's Commissioner calls for total smacking ban

[Simona]

This issue is always controversial but I am amazed at the MP who blames the London riots on rules being relaxed preventing 'working class' parents to discipline their children?

Tottenham MP David Lammy said early last year that legislation surrounding the smacking of children needed to be relaxed so working-class parents could instil discipline in their homes without fearing prosecution. He claimed Labour's 2004 decision to tighten up the smacking law was partly to blame for last summer's riots, which erupted in his north London constituency

Your thoughts??

Children's commissioner calls for total smacking ban | Society | theguardian.com (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/28/childrens-commissioner-ban-parents-smacking?CMP=twt_gu)

[bunyip]

Oh, and there's me thinking that the London riots might just have had something to do with an unlawful police assault on a teenage girl (who just happened to be black working class) who was taking part in a peaceful protest against the equally unlawful police killing of a man (who also just happened to be black working class) in a largely black working class area of London where the police and various other agents of state oppression have a rather poor record in relations with, er, black working class people since anyone can remember. :huh:

If anyone's going to get slapped, can we start with the politicians? :mad:

[Simona]

Oh, and there's me thinking that the London riots might just have had something to do with an unlawful police assault on a teenage girl (who just happened to be black working class) who was taking part in a peaceful protest against the equally unlawful police killing of a man (who also just happened to be black working class) in a largely black working class area of London where the police and various other agents of state oppression have a rather poor record in relations with, er, black working class people since anyone can remember. :huh:

If anyone's going to get slapped, can we start with the politicians? :mad:

And the first thing they would do is to report anyone who slaps them to the police for physical assault...isn't that what children are denied by not being in a position to report an assault on them...even if some want to hide it behind a gentle tap that does not leave red marks for a long time?

It was Mr Lammy's remarks that 'working class' people were denied the freedom to slap that got me...does he have a different rule for the middle and upper class?

[sarah707]

A lot of my generation were hit by their parents - it was a totally acceptable way of teaching right from wrong - nowadays it's not considered ok to hit your child - but how they would police it I have no idea...

What would they do? Tell children at school that if parents smack them they have to tell the teacher - and that would be an allegation of assault - and would bring SS swooping on their home and have them all removed into SS care...?

Then what? :panic:

Methinks this hasn't really been thought through properly :(

[Simona]

A lot of my generation were hit by their parents - it was a totally acceptable way of teaching right from wrong - nowadays it's not considered ok to hit your child - but how they would police it I have no idea...

What would they do? Tell children at school that if parents smack them they have to tell the teacher - and that would be an allegation of assault - and would bring SS swooping on their home and have them all removed into SS care...?

Then what? :panic:

Methinks this hasn't really been thought through properly :(

Not an easy answer to be found on this but do I recall correctly that many years ago the then NCMA was instrumental in ensuring CMs could not smack children even with parental permission?
not sure how that is policed but that ban is still enforced today in EY settings...it must be confusing to children if they can be smacked at home but not anywhere else...if we were to smack them they could report it to their parents but when hit at home we are not able to do anything about it?
Parents should be banned from smacking children says Children (http://www.daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1561981/parents-should-be-banned-from-smacking-children#.UsFsFiDJbwI.twitter)

My view is that maybe smacking is the last resort for some parents when all else fails ...maybe some sort of training sessions for those parents who require help in disciplining their children would help...CCentres would be well placed to deliver those

very simplistic I know especially when funds are tight.