Smacking should be banned to protect children

Before I get stated, I’d like to ask you guys for one question: Have you ever got smacked by your parents when you are a little child? If you have, please put your hands up. Alright, it seems everyone has been smacked before, so have I.

A black and white picture of a cross father spanking a little boy who is crying on his knees could be described by people as the “bad old days”. Disciplinary action such as a smack on a child’s bottom is not illegal in Australia and it’s now viewed as “barbaric”. As a result, children get hurt. Many of the parents are the proponents of corporal punishment as it is quicker to implement, costs nothing and deters unruliness. Nevertheless, psychologists are …show more content…

Professor Frank Oberklaid, a pediatrician from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, said Australia was lagging behind other countries in outlawing smacking. It has been claimed that one of the law is to represent what a society values. The fact of making smacking illegal not only means that it may carry a penalty, it also makes it apparent that society as a whole does not approve the action. While our law does not stop child abuse, it blurs the line of abuse and discipline and our children get hurt. Those who support corporal punishment should ask their selves: We would not consider for a moment that it is acceptable to smack other people, so why is it permissible to smack children? Instead, we should follow the words of Bible: “one of love and living in harmony with another.” Therefore, hurting children or anyone is contrary to this underlying theme. And also, there are many other better ways of parenting; outlawing smacking will force people to find and use better alternate as well.

Many of the proponents of smacking argue that smacking is sometimes the most effective form of discipline, which a lot of parents noted that “A slap can go straight to the point very quickly”. Some of the psychologists explain that it may be necessary to smack a child to provide an immediate halt to an unacceptable behavior and it is a way to say “stop” and “listen”. Nevertheless, the most recent researches show that smacking does not achieve what the