France outlaws all child smacking
France has become the 56th country worldwide to outlaw smacking and other similar forms of violence towards children, after a unanimous parliament vote.
The bill outlaws all 鈥渆ducational, ordinary violence鈥� - primarily that committed by parents towards their children - and has been dubbed the 鈥渁nti-smacking law (补苍迟颈-蹿别蝉蝉茅别)鈥�. It legal code le Code Civil, and reads: 鈥減arental authority may be exerted without physical or psychological violence鈥�.
The phrase will now be included in articles read at local Mairies during marriage ceremonies, and will also appear on the first page of a child鈥檚 national health records.
Adrien Taquet, secretary of State in charge of child protection, : 鈥淏eating, slapping, spanking - all are scars that the child will carry of their life. Nothing is more wrong than the idea that 鈥榦rdinary educational violence鈥� will 鈥榖uild character鈥�.鈥�
France has now become the 56th country worldwide to introduce such a law, a form of which is already in place in many other European nations. Sweden was the first to outlaw smacking, in 1979.
The vote comes ahead of a report on the state of childhood educational violence in France, which is also expected to include recommendations for parents. It will be handed to parliament before September 1 2019.
Smacking appears to be common in France. A survey by public childhood association la Fondation Pour L鈥橢nfance found that 85% of French parents had previously used some form of smacking, and more than 50% said they had hit their child in some way before the child鈥檚 second birthday.
