Consultation on the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

Tystiolaeth i’r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar gyfer craffu Cyfnod 1 Bil Plant (Diddymu Amddiffyniad Cosb Resymol) (Cymru)

Evidence submitted to the Children, Young People and Education Committee for Stage 1 scrutiny of the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

CADRP-269

CADRP-269

 

About you

Individual

1      The Bill’s general principles

1.1     Do you support the principles of the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill?

— No

1.2     Please outline your reasons for your answer to question 1.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Loving parents should not be criminalised for caring for their children, which includes disciplining them.

There is not concrete evidence that this is an issue but appears rather to be the personal opinion or bias of a very few people, as the recent polls have shown.

Our current society is suffering from a lack of discipline in the home not the reverse.

 

1.3     Do you think there is a need for legislation to deliver what this Bill is trying to achieve?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

No.

Their are far more important issues in this country for the government and police to be concentrating on than this. 

State control in raising children is practiced in other countries but I would not like to see that introduced in Wales.

2      The Bill’s implementation

2.1     Do you have any comments about any potential barriers to  implementing the Bill? If no, go to question 3.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Banning smacking could put overwhelming pressure on police and social services in dealing with trivial events, which is likely to preventing them from dealing with real cases of child abuse.

We already have a law in place that protects from violence and I totally disagree with the idea that a loving smack is violence.

2.2     Do you think the Bill takes account of these potential barriers?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

No

3      Unintended consequences

3.1     Do you think there are there any unintended consequences arising from the Bill? If no, go to question 4.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Such a bill is bad for children and families and would lead to a major change in society at large. If parents are afraid to discipline their children, then we will have an increase in undisciplined children leading to a breakdown in society as an increased cost to the government in dealing with this.

The idea that parents could be afraid of exercising any control over their child in public for fear of  who is watching them as they discipline their child and such 'informants' being agents of the government is a worrying effect that could occur. Warning children of dangers in public spaces is currently a parental responsibility but could be thwarted by this fear.

4      Financial implications

4.1     Do you have any comments on the financial implications of the Bill (as set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum)? If no, go to question 5.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

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5      Other considerations

5.1     Do you have any other points you wish to raise about this Bill?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

In my opinion it should be the role of a parent to decide on the right action to take to discipline their child (which may include smacking) and not the government.

The state should not use the criminal law to regulate parenting.

Given the lack of evidence and appetite for this in the country, the government should use its limited time in focussing upon more important and pressing issues and therefore drop this bill.