By Peche Agbasonu Student
It has been reported 85% of adults are hitting their children to discipline them according to the Childhood Foundation which is a French non-government organisation.
French MPs have voted to outlaw corporal punishment in a bid to ensure that parents do not abuse their power. The report calls into question how effective the punishment is on the children and suggests that it will not change the behaviour of the child.
A study in 2016 was conducted by the University of Texas and the University of Michigan on physical punishment of children which concluded that smacking could lead to lower cognitive ability, mental health problems and a risk of normalising physical abuse later in their life.
If the bill is adopted France’s civil code will be adjusted to state that parents should not resort to “physical, verbal or physiological violence, nor to corporal punishment or humiliation” when disciplining their children.
On 30th November MPs voted 51-1 in favour of the change in the law.
In England it is against the law for a parent or carer to smack their child, except where this amounts to “reasonable punishment”. “Reasonable punishment” is not defined in the legislation. Scotland is expected to outlaw the “reasonable punishment” defence in 2019, and Wales is considering it.
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