b) agreed that the Commission needed to have ready a clear and evidence-based responsive policy position. They felt that the arguments sent out in the paper were full, clear and logical; c) emphasised the need for a measured presentation of the Commission’s position. It needed to be clearly contextualised, and the concerns over the criminalisation of parents for occasional mild smacking addressed. The Commission would inevitably attract criticism from some quarters for what would be perceived as and deployment of what the ‘nannying’, Board agreed was the persuasive evidence noted in the paper (particularly evidence that was directly informed by the voice of children) would be helpful in supporting the Commission’s position; d) advised that in presenting the Commission’s position, the current protections available for adults be contrasted with those available for children; e) recognised that legislation would not prove an immediate deterrent to those who were already physically punishing children, or where physical punishment was culturally normalised. Nonetheless, they agreed that legislative change provided the basis for other measures to change culture and behaviours to increase children’s rights to human dignity and physical integrity protection, and was likely to accelerate existing trends towards the physical punishment of children being generally regarded as unacceptable 11.3. The Board therefore agreed that the Commission should adopt the following position: The UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments should prohibit all forms of physical punishment of children, including through the repeal of all legal defences such as reasonable chastisement and justifiable assault. This prohibition should extend to the family and all other institutional forms of alternative care. New legislation should be accompanied by: guidance from prosecution services to parents, prosecutors and relevant  public services; monitoring and reporting by the police and prosecution services of the  number and type of physical punishment of children incidents, prosecutions, convictions and sentences; and awareness campaigns and programmes to inform parents of the rights of  children and the harm caused by physical punishment; and to support parents to use positive parenting strategies.
b) agreed that the Commission needed to have ready a clear and evidence-based responsive policy position. They felt that the arguments sent out in the paper were full, clear and logical; c) emphasised the need for a measured presentation of the Commission’s position. It needed to be clearly contextualised, and the concerns over the criminalisation of parents for occasional mild smacking addressed. The Commission would inevitably attract criticism from some quarters for what would be perceived as ‘nannying’, and deployment of what the Board agreed was the persuasive evidence noted in the paper (particularly evidence that was directly informed by the voice of children) would be helpful in supporting the Commission’s position; d) advised that in presenting the Commission’s position, the current protections available for adults be contrasted with those available for children; e) recognised that legislation would not prove an immediate deterrent to those who were already physically punishing children, or where physical punishment was culturally normalised. Nonetheless, they agreed that legislative change provided the basis for other measures to change culture and behaviours to increase children’s rights to human dignity and physical integrity protection, and was likely to accelerate existing trends towards the physical punishment of children being generally regarded as unacceptable 11.3. The Board therefore agreed that the Commission should adopt the following position: The UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments should prohibit all forms of physical punishment of children, including through the repeal of all legal defences such as reasonable chastisement and justifiable assault. This prohibition should extend to the family and all other institutional forms of alternative care. New legislation should be accompanied by:  guidance from prosecution services to parents, prosecutors and relevant public services;  monitoring and reporting by the police and prosecution services of the number and type of physical punishment of children incidents, prosecutions, convictions and sentences; and  awareness campaigns and programmes to inform parents of the rights of children and the harm caused by physical punishment; and to support parents to use positive parenting strategies.
ehrc-69th-board-meeting-23-january-2017.docx