Marlow residents have their say on smacking children ban

This week, paediatricians in England and Northern Ireland urged the government to change the law to ensure smacking a child is not seen as acceptable in any circumstances.

The current law states that if a child is smacked, hit or slapped, parents may argue a defence of ‘reasonable punishment’.

Wales made any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking, illegal in March 2022, while Scotland introduced a similar ban in November 2022.

To gauge local opinion on the weighted topic, we spoke to people on Marlow High Street about whether they would support the ban – and found a range of nuanced perspectives across age ranges.

Grandad Dave Ball, 63, said he believes there should be government intervention when it comes to violence against children.

He said: “I think it should be illegal to smack a child. If you bring them up well and talk things through with them, you shouldn’t need to resort to it. It’s how children are being brought up that’s the problem.”

Sarah Scott-Stevens, 42, the mother of a special needs child, said she found the subject a “difficult” one to have an opinion on.

“I don’t think it’s ok to smack children and a law might stop the wrong people from taking it too far.

“But my boy can be very aggressive sometimes, and I would be worried about genuine people who might reach their limit and give their child a light smack.

“If they got in trouble, it could be worse for everyone, including the child.”

Abdul Rob, 58, owner of Tiger Garden on West Street, struck a similar tone.

He said: “I would never touch my children, but if they’re being too naughty, what are some parents going to do?

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“They might give them a light tap and that shouldn’t be against the law. My father never did anything to me except once with an umbrella when I was behaving badly.

“He did it in the right way and it was a good lesson for me because I still remember it now.”

Julia Murphy, 65, also focused on the difference between “a smack and a tap” – a distinction that she’s not confident would be fully appreciated in legislative action.

“It’s that sense of black and white. Do I think parents should be able to give their children a bit of a shock Yes, but should they be allowed to properly hit them? No. It’s very tricky.”

Jack Hansen, 26, said he would be in support of a law against smacking though admitted he could see why others might be against it.

“It wasn’t ever done to me, and I don’t have children, but I would say that discipline can always be done in other ways.

“A law could set a dangerous precedent if it’s not specific, but I would probably get behind it anyway.”

Meanwhile, Andy Finch, 31, said discipline through light smacking had been normal when he was young and hadn’t produced any lasting effects on him.

“It was thought to be ok when I was growing up and I turned out alright. It is sort of wrong because it can create bad patterns, but if children are just being given a little tap – I imagine lots of people who had that when they were young have turned out ok.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “Any form of violence towards a child is completely unacceptable and we have clear laws in place to prevent it.

“It is the responsibility of the parent to discipline their children appropriately and within the boundaries of the law.

“We are supporting teachers, social workers and all safeguarding professionals to spot the signs of abuse or neglect more quickly, and our statutory framework for safeguarding children in England makes clear what organisations should do to keep children safe."