France Makes Spanking Illegal
The European country joins over 50 others that have banned the act
France has banned the spanking of children making it the 52nd country to criminalize the act reports Breitbart.
The new law bans “any cruel, degrading or humiliating punishment, including any use of physical violence,” which includes spanking of children at home.
According to the report, the law came into effect this year and follows a rebuke by the Council of Europe in 2015 condemning France for lacking a law that prohibits “corporal punishment in a clear, binding and precise way, including slaps and spankings, in breach of Article 17 of the European Charter of Social Rights.”
The Charter reads “To comply with Article 17, states’ domestic law must prohibit and penalize all forms of violence against children.”
The law has drawn mixed reactions from citizens with some commending the move by saying that spanking creates unnecessary fear and guilt while opponents to the law say that spanking is important to teach children about the consequences of disrespecting certain rules.
Reports indicate that most of the countries that have banned corporal punishment among children are those that are developed, particularly Europe, while developing and third world countries have no such laws. In most countries including Thailand, disciplining of children via spanking is widely accepted among parents.
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