The AoCPP fully support the call from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) which lays out the health, education, and legal case for a legislative change to remove the “reasonable punishment” defence and to prohibit all physical punishment of children in all circumstances in England and Northern Ireland.

The negative health impacts of physical punishment in childhood are well documented. Children who experience physical punishment are nearly three times (2.6x) as likely to develop poorer mental health and are more than twice (2.3x) as likely to experience serious physical assault and abuse. Physical punishment also increases the likelihood of behavioural problems in childhood, poorer relationships with parents and family, and instances of aggression later in life.

Currently in England and Northern Ireland, a parent can use the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ to justify physically punishing a child in certain circumstances, for example by slapping, smacking, or hitting. Adults in both countries are rightly protected in law from all forms of physical assault; however, children do not have this same protection in all circumstances.

Scotland and Wales are among more than 60 other countries around the world that have brought in measures to give children the same protection from assault that adults have, fully protecting children’s rights to be protected from violence. This means there is a discrepancy across the UK regarding the rights of the child. Internationally, 65 states have full prohibition of physical punishment of children. 27 more states have committed to reforming their laws to achieve a complete legal ban.

The report, ‘Equal protection from assault in England and Northern Ireland: The health, education, and legal case for legislative change to remove the “reasonable punishment” defence and to prohibit all physical punishment of children’ highlights the range of harms to children and safeguarding complications that current legislation around physical punishment creates, as well as key recommendations for Governments in Westminster and Stormont.

RCPCH recommendations include:

• The Secretary of State for Education in England commencing the legislative process necessary to change the law to remove the reasonable punishment defence (as set out in Section 3 of the report).
• The Education and Health Ministers for Northern Ireland leading the Northern Ireland Assembly in amending the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006) to remove the reasonable punishment defence from Northern Irish Law.
• All political parties incorporating the removal of the reasonable punishment defence in their general election party manifesto, and if appointed to UK Government, signal the legislative change will be enacted in the first wave of new legislation after formation of the new Parliament, with a specific commitment set out in the King’s speech.

You can read RCPCH’s full report and recommendations here https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/equal-protection-from-assault-england-and-northern-ireland