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Smacking Your Children Will Soon Be illegal in UK
Smacking your children will soon become illegal in Britain as laws surrounding punishment are set to change in Scotland and Wales.
It is currently illegal to hit your child in the UK but parents still have a legal defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ under section 58 of the Children Act.
Every case is treated differently in the eyes of the law but nannies and babysitters can currently smack children if given permission by parents or guardians.
Scotland first made changes to its laws last month as the government plans to remove the protection of parents and now, Wales is set to do the same.
Huw Irranca-Davies, Welsh Minister for Children, told Wales Online: “It can no longer be acceptable in a modern and progressive society for children to be physically punished.”
He continued, “It is right that as a Government, we take action to protect children and support parents to use positive and effective alternatives to physical punishment.”
The NSPCC in Wales added: “We welcome the steps being taken by the Welsh Government towards removing the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’. Every child deserves equal protection under the law and should be protected from such draconian forms of discipline.”
