Smacks of interference

The Scottish executive’s proposal (News, 13 Sept 2001) to ban smacking children under the age of three and to make it illegal to hit children of any age on the head, should be viewed with grave concern by social workers north and south of the border.

This proposal has little to do with the prevention of violence against children, and a lot to do with criminalisation of parents. 

Ironically, this is the result of an ongoing crusade among professionals and organisations who object to parents having the autonomy to exercise discipline and to punish their children as they see fit. They like to promote the erroneous notion that smacking equates with assault, abuse and violence. 

Caring parents who administer a smack in response to a child’s wilful defiance with the objective of discouraging unacceptable behaviour, are certainly not behaving violently. They are surely chastising their children reasonably. 

That campaigners cannot distinguish between discipline through smacking and deliberate violence against children, says a lot about their prejudices and outlook, as well as the low opinion they hold of the majority of parents and adults. As social workers know, parental abuse of children is the exception not the norm. 

Social workers are supposed to support parents, not police them and undermine their
increasingly fragile confidence in exercising authority.

Brid Hehir, Health visitor & user involvement co-ordinator 
London

First published here Sept 2001.