Foto: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com22 Spotlight 1/2020 PRESS GALLERYB
y making it illegal to “smack”
children, the Scottish parlia-
ment has set an example for
the rest of the UK, as well as
countries around the world
that have yet to legislate in
this area (most of Europe
already has, with Sweden
leading the way in 1979). Rather than cre-
ating a new offence, the new law removes
the defence of “justifiable assault” which
used to be available to adults accused of
assaulting children. Henceforth the law
will give equal protection to victims irre-
spective of age.
It was a mistake by the SNP [Scottish
National Party] not to bring its own bill,
and a pity that the party has delayed the
incorporation into Scottish law of the
UN convention on the rights of the child.
But the decision to support the bill intro-
duced by Green MSP (and former police-
man) John Finnie was a good one, while
its smooth passage is a credit to Scottish
parliamentarians. English, Welsh and
Northern Irish campaigners must nowstep up their efforts on behalf of the rest
of the UK’s children, and against the “rea-
sonable punishment” defence that is the
equivalent of justifiable assault in Scot-
land — and allows parents or carers to
strike children, including babies, provid-
ing they do not leave marks on the skin.
There are not many people nowadays
who defend hitting children on principle.
Evidence that violent punishments are
more harmful than beneficial to young
people’s emotional development and
mental health has been accumulating for
decades. Mostly, adults hit children when
they are enraged and out of control (in
other words, in a similar frame of mind
to that in which they might strike other
adults). ...
With the support of children’s charities
and all four UK children’s commissioners,
the Welsh government, like the Scottish
one, is keen to act. Given the weight of
international opinion ... this ought to be
uncontroversial. Yet the UK parliament
has not voted on the question since 2004...
© Guardian News & Media 2019PRESS GALLERY
beneficial [)benI(fIS&l]
, vorteilhaft, nützlich
bill [bIl]
, Gesetzesentwurf
carer [(keErE] UK
, Betreuer(in)
commissioner
[kE(mIS&nE]
, Beauftragte(r)
enraged [In(reIdZd]
, erzürnt, aufgebracht
henceforth
[)hens(fO:T]
, künftig
irrespective
[)Iri(spektIv]
, ungeachtetjustifiable assault
[dZVstI)faIEb&l E(sO:lt]
, gebilligte Körper-
strafe
offence [E(fens]
, Straftat
passage [(pÄsIdZ]
, hier: Verabschie-
dung
smack sb. [smÄk] ifml.
, jmdm. einen Klaps
geben, jmdm. eine
kleben
step up [step (Vp]
, erhöhen, steigernSchottland hat Kindern jetzt das Recht auf gleichen Schutz vor Körperverletzung eingeräumt
wie Erwachsenen. Damit hat es ein Beispiel für das ganze Königreich gesetzt.ADVANCEDScotland’s
smacking ban