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-508

CADRP-508

 

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)

Banning smacking can have a number of consequences for our society.Firstly as a parent and grandparent who used smacking as a loving discipline to teach when something is wrong I feel that this Bill will cause loving parents to be turned into criminals overnight while doing little to stop bad parents abusing children.This in turn would overwhelm police and social workers with trivial reports that will waste their time and also allow genuine child abusers to get overlooked.Smacking is not child abuse there is a clear difference between abuse and loving parental discipline.Secondly the law already protects from violence so it is completely misleading to describe a loving smack as violence.As a child I was regularly smacked by my parents for doing wrong things but never considered it to be abuse and accepted it as punishment for my wrong doing.

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)

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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)

Smacking is used to warn children of dangers before they are old enough to understand a verbal warning.I recall an occasional  when my young son tried to put his finger in the socket I shouted at him but he ignored me so a gave him a tap on his hand.He never tried to do it ever again so criminalizing smacking actually jeopardises children's safety.

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)

P

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)

As I mentioned previously I think the police and social services  would be further overstretched something that both bodies could do without considering the workloads already placed on them.

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)

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