frogblog

Smacking, like cannabis, is losing its cool.

Yesterday, I bemoaned the Government’s decision to shelve plans to review section 59 of the Crimes Act, which allows parents to use “reasonable force” to discipline their children.

But the Herald has a story this morning pointing out that smacking has become much less common among Kiwi parents.

Yesterday’s survey found 49 percent of parents had not smacked their children in the past three months. A similar survey in 1993 found that only 25 percent of parents with kids under six, and 11 percent of parents with kids between two and four, never used physical punishment.

So, the war against smacking is slowly being won. Perhaps this government - which likes following public opinion, not leading it - can now feel able to take a stand against section 59?

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