Jonathan MorrisSouth West and
Martyn OatesSouth West political reporter
BBCAn MP has called for a nationwide ban on smacking children, describing the practice as “physical assault”.
Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives in Cornwall, joined abuse survivor and campaigner Caroline Eshghi at a parliamentary meeting hosted by children’s charities NSPCC and Barnardo’s.
The event was part of a wider initiative backed by more than 300 experts, including The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Children’s Society and the Association of Educational Psychologists, calling for an end to all forms of physical punishment against children.
Mr George said: “Physically assaulting a child is not something that the state should effectively be condoning.”
A Department for Education (DoE) spokesperson said the landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a key part of its plan for change, represented the “most transformative piece of child protection legislation in a generation”.
The spokesperson said it included wholesale reform of the children’s social care system, and better information shared between education, health and social workers to stop vulnerable children “falling through the cracks”.
Currently, smacking is unlawful in England, except in cases where it amounts to a “reasonable punishment”.
Mr George praised Ms Eshghi, a constituent and NSPCC ambassador, for her “outstanding strength of character” in securing the conviction and imprisonment of her abuser.
“A ban on smacking would bring England and Cornwall into line with Scotland, Wales, Ireland, South Korea and many other countries, and ensure we comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Mr George added.
“Most people are shocked to learn that physically assaulting a child is still lawful in this country.”
He said smacking could lead to “horrific abuse and child and baby death” and “that it actually contributes to a more unruly and alienated generation of young people”.
The DoE spokesperson added: “While we are looking closely at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland in relation to reasonable punishment, we have no plans to legislate at this stage.”
