Ban on smacking ‘makes whole society less violent’, research finds

Banning smacking brings benefits for the whole of society, new research has shown – reducing violence among young people by a huge margin.

In Britain, parents and carers can legally smack children within the home if it is ‘reasonable punishment’.

But the research suggests that such partial bans don’t really work.

Researchers from Mcgill University in Montreal, Canada looked at rates of violence in 88 countries around the world to see if there was a link between smacking and youth violence.

The researchers found that countries with smacking bans saw levels of violence up to 69% lower among under-18s.

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In countries with partial bans, male aggression remained the same, but female aggression was up to 56% lower, the researchers found.

A consultation on banning smacking outright concluded in Wales earlier this year and found 81% of parents think it is never acceptable to smack a child.

Legislation aimed at completely banning the smacking of children is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament while the Welsh Government is also moving toward an outright ban.

Alana Ryan of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said, ‘This substantial piece of research highlights that countries which outlaw corporal punishment typically have lower levels of youth violence, suggesting that bans not only keep children safe from adults, but also from their peers.

‘Physical discipline should have no place in society and the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ should be removed from law.

‘It’s high time that the positive steps which Wales and Scotland have taken to keep our children safe are echoed across the rest of the UK.’