Doctors Call for Ban on Smacking Children

Paediatricians have urged the government to bring in a new law to make clear that smacking children is not acceptable in any circumstance. Such laws have already been passed by the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, but Westminster and Stormont have not followed suit, meaning there are “grey areas” in England and Northern Ireland as to what is lawful, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). A government minister said in response that how a child is disciplined is not a matter for state intervention, but with a general election imminent, Labour could try to bring in such a law....