Saturday 30 April is International Day to End Corporal Punishment of Children. The list of countries prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings, including the home, is growing fast – so far 63 countries have made the law reform, including most countries in Europe, many countries in South America and Africa and, most recently, Wales. In Australia, however, state and territory laws allow corporal punishment – even the use of implements such as belts and whips is not prohibited. Despite the overwhelming research that shows smacking is linked to mental and physical health problems, and to becoming a perpetrator of partner violence in adulthood, neither of the two major political parties have a position on corporal punishment. So, the question is: shouldn’t they?

Smacking is a divisive issue among caregivers, but the science is clear. Fifty years of research has shown that the only positive outcome from smacking is immediate compliance; however, the short and long-term adverse effects can be serious, similar to those of physical abuse. Children who are smacked are more likely to be aggressive, have mental health problems, and do worse at school. They are also more likely to be physically abused as smacking often escalates and research suggests that some child homicide is preventable by prohibiting smacking. The effects carry through to adulthood, with increased risk of criminality, drug and alcohol abuse and perpetrating partner violence; as well as increased risk of suffering from health problems such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis and obesity.

Smacking is also an infringement on the rights of children to be free from violence – both the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and Sustainable Development Goals are clear on this – yet Australia, as a signatory to both, has not met its obligations to prohibit smacking. The National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, has spoken out against smacking, as has the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. However, it is likely that prohibiting smacking in Australia is seen as impinging on the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit – even if it significantly risks harming them.

At one time ‘disciplining’ one’s wife using violence was also legal in Australia, though this is now considered archaic, as smacking of children now is in many other countries around the world. It has been prohibited in Sweden since 1979 and New Zealand banned it in 2007. The fear that persists among parents in Australia is that they will be turned into criminals for smacking; however, research shows that in countries where smacking has been prohibited this has not happened, and parents have been educated about alternative discipline methods. Parenting is a tough gig and discipline is an essential part of it. Parenting programs such as Tuning In To Kids are proven, effective and don’t carry the risk of harming children.  

Most Australian children are still smacked. While research shows that attitudes are slowly changing and smacking is seen as less socially acceptable, research shows that acceptability of smacking declines quickly with legal prohibition. Protecting children is everybody’s business, and our most vulnerable members of society deserve the best chance at protection from violence – from everyone – to help them along in life and achieve the best outcomes possible in adulthood. Promoting respect and non-violent problem solving at stage in life and developing policy around the prohibition of smacking is a vital step to achieving this.

By Angelika Poulsen, PhD candidate in family violence at Queensland University of Technology