Today, an adult in any of the UK’s four nations can hit a child and claim it amounted to a ‘reasonable punishment’.
There is no similar defence in the law when someone hits an adult; it is never considered reasonable to do so as a punishment. Usually when we make laws that are different for children, we do it to give them more protection. This is why we have age limits on smoking, drinking, driving and sexual consent. The law related to physical punishment is the only one I can think of where we give children less protection from harm than adults.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here