A Third Of German Parents Are Fine With Smacking Children. But What About British Parents?

Is Smacking Your Child Ever Okay?

While our kids might drive us potty when they're having a tantrum on the floor in Tesco, we all know that a quick smack on the backside won't go down too well.

But in Germany, things are slightly different.

In a survey released on Sunday, one third of German parents think a smack across the head is necessary and appropriate as they grow up.

Although there are around 4,000 reports a year on child abuse in Germany, corporal punishment against children has been outlawed in the country for 15 years.

Charité Violence Protection Professor Michael Tsokos to RTL said: "There are numerous studies in violence research that clearly show that children who are victims of child abuse grow up to abuse their own children, even violently."

In Britain, things are slightly different. According to Protecting Children, physical punishment is deemed unreasonable if it leaves a mark on the child, or if they use a physical object.

The Children’s Act 2004 states that any smack that causes bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches is illegal, and is punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

And for other guardians? If you're a teacher or nursery worker, it is illegal to smack another person's child.

Although in a previous survey Germans stated that non-violent child rearing is the ideal, 48% said it was acceptable.

They also said that it was stress that lead them to occasionally hit children.

"Hitting a child is never reasonable. It's abuse," says HuffPost blogger Jen Singer. "It's time our country stops doing what its parents did, because a country that thinks it's okay to smack, spank, slap, and whoop its kids maybe didn't turn out all that fine after all."

Yet Pope Francis said in February that it is acceptable to smack children for bad behaviour.

What do you think?

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