Child Smacking

New legislation banning the smacking of children needs to be supported by a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign, according to the Law Society of Scotland.  The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament yesterday abolishes t

Tracy Kirk makes the case for banning child smacking in Scotland. Should smacking a child be against the law? That’s the fierce debate reaching a vital stage in Scotland at present, where the Parliament’s Equalities Committee will announce on April 25 whether it will back legislation to

A former senator who successfully introduced Ireland's ban on child smacking encouraged Scottish legislators to follow suit at a meeting at Holyrood this morning. Jillian van Turnhout, who introduced the bill which became the Children First Act 2015 during her time as an Independent Senator, wa

The "seemingly innocuous" Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Bill is currently making its way through Holyrood. Nevertheless, certain aspects of this bill should give us pause for thought, writes Michael Sheridan. On the face of it, it proposes the seemingly rational objective of criminalising

Numerous organisations including the Law Society of Scotland have welcomed the child smacking legislation currently under consideration at Holyrood. The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill would abolish the defence of reasonable chastisement in Scots law.