The ISPCC has welcomed the decision to make smacking children illegal in Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament today voted overwhelmingly for the smacking ban – which gives children the same level of protection from violence as adults.

Up until now parents were permitted to use "reasonable" force to discipline their children.

ISPCC Director of Services Caroline O’Sullivan said it is a “really positive step” for children in Scotland.

“It is recognising that children do have rights and that, as a society, Scotland now values children in the same way that 50 other countries across the globe have,” she said.

Smacking ban

Laws allowing parents in Ireland to use force against their children were repealed nearly 20 years ago – and in 2015 the defence of "reasonable chastisement" was also removed.

Ms O’Sullivan said smacking is still an issue here, although attitudes towards physical punishment are shifting.

“Children are still being hit in Ireland,” she said. “We know that from our Childline service.”

“Children still call us about physical abuse and that physical abuse is very often happening in their own homes.

“However, we do also recognise that there has been a shift in terms of people understandings of discipline.

She said the charity has also been fielding calls from parents looking for alternative ways to discipline their children.

Lasting impact

She said smacking can have a lasting negative impact.

“Very often they actually blame themselves for being hit,” she said. “Their self-esteem is incredibly low and the huge part of it is that it actually takes away any level of confidence from the child.

“Their resilience has been much reduced and their ability to cope with other stresses in life is completely reduced.

“But the big thing is that these children are being harmed.”

Discipline

The 84 to 29 vote in the Scottish Parliament brings the country in line with UN recommendations; however, opinion polls have suggested that while the vast majority of Scots believe "unreasonable" smacking should be a crime, many are opposed to an all-out ban.

Opponents of the bill have claimed parents could find themselves tangled up in the justice system for trying to discipline their children.

With reporting from Niall Colbert