In the UK, calls to ban spanking children for discipline are growing.
Studies show that punishing children physically is ineffective as a punishment and can only make their behavior more problematic.
The researchers found no evidence that physically punishing children makes them behave better but causal evidence shows that it makes them worse.
England is one of the four European countries where parents can legally use physical force against children if it is “reasonable punishment”.
But Scotland passed a law last year that bans parents for smacking their children, making it the first part of the UK to outlaw physical punishment of under-16s.
The new law means that the so-called “justifiable assault” defense is no longer available. It seeks to give children the same protection from assault as adults.
Researchers from University College London say that England and Northern Ireland should follow through. They were also backed by health experts and children’s charities regarding the issue.
Though others claim that banning smacking would be an “invasion of government into family life” that risks criminalizing loving parents.
The review published in The Lancet looked at 69 global studies that followed children over time and analyzed data on physical punishment and a range of different outcomes.
It revealed that the link between physical punishment and increased behavior problems is causal, and occurs regardless of the child’s sex, ethnicity, or any other factors such as their guardians’ overall parenting style.
“Physical punishment is ineffective and harmful and has no benefits for children and their families,” UCL’s Dr. Anja Heilmann, the study’s lead author, said. “This could not be clearer from the evidence we present.”
Meanwhile, Jillian van Turnhout, the co-author of the paper and a former Senator in parliament in Ireland said that a child’s home should be a safe space.
“A home should be a safe place for children, yet in many countries, the law can make it one of the most unsafe places for them,” she said. “Countries need to do all they can to ensure that all children have equal protection from all forms of harm, including physical punishment.”
Joanna Barrett, from the NSPCC also stressed out that physical punishment is harmful to children.
“This is yet another significant study that shows physical punishment is harmful to children,” Barrett said. “It cannot be right that in 2021 children are the only group in society that it is legally acceptable to assault in England. The case for reform is beyond doubt.”
Despite the evidence, the ‘Be Reasonable’ campaign that opposes smacking bans gave a statement.
“Parents who love their children should be trusted to decide when a smack on the bum is appropriate,” the statement says. “Ordinary moms and dads are fed up with so-called experts demonizing their parenting.”
“There is an important issue of parental freedom at stake here,” Andrea Williams, of Christian Concern, added. “A blanket ban on smacking would be a damaging invasion of government into family life.”
In England, a parent can claim a defense of “reasonable punishment” under section 58 of the Children Act 2004 if they hit their children. But if the physical punishment leaves a mark, such as a scratch or a bruise, parents can be prosecuted for assault.
Smacking is illegal in all of Europe except England, Italy, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
Globally, 62 countries have prohibited physical punishment of children in all settings and a further 27 countries commit to doing so, according to the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.
Despite this advance, “only 13% of the world’s children are fully protected in law from all corporal punishment,” the agency says, and 31 countries still allow whipping, flogging, and caning as a sentence for crimes committed by juveniles.
The smacking ban bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament by Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie, a former police officer, who won the support of the SNP, Labor, and Lib Dems as well as his own party and many children’s charities.
In January, Wales was the second part of the UK to pass a law banning people from smacking their children. It will begin in 2022.
Sweden was the first country in the world to ban smacking in the home when it outlawed corporal punishment in 1979. Scotland has now become the 58th to do so.