I AM most concerned about the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill, promoted by Green MSP John Finnie, which is currently before Parliament ("SNP MSP slates smacking ban as bill passes first vote", The Herald, May 29). If passed, it will serve to facilitate government snooping into family’s homes and criminalise well-meaning parents, who are only trying to impose some discipline on errant children. Furthermore, removing the last meaningful sanction for unacceptable conduct will inevitably lead to a further increase in already widespread thuggery and violence.
In my 75 years I have witnessed a considerable decline in what is considered acceptable conduct. It may be an unpopular view, but I trace this state of affairs back to the abolition of corporal punishment in schools. As a result, there are now many youths and adults who know no boundaries as regards offensive conduct directed towards their fellow citizens. Here are a few recent examples.
On the Balloch and Helensburgh railway lines in 2017 drivers threatened to strike over disorder by young thugs. Here in Paisley, buses and taxis have been pelted with rocks, bricks and the like by teenage yobs on several occasions. Vandals smashed First World War graves in Dalziel Cemetery in North Lanarkshire and smashed bus shelters all the way from Muirend to Clarkston.
In 2017 violence and intimidation against NHS and local government workers reportedly doubled over the past decade and continued to increase. Attacks on frontline workers, such as teachers, doctors, nurses, parking attendants and social workers, rose by more than 18 per cent to 41,176 in 2016/17, compared with just over 20,00 in 2006. An NHS nurse in North Lanarkshire was quitting because she “was verbally abused and had to avoid flying objects from patients”. A teacher stated that “it is fairly common for teachers to be assaulted by children whose need cannot be met due to the inadequate level of funding.” In October 2018 it was reported that the number of trainee teachers quitting after only a year in post has doubled in four years.
Given the SNP and Green Party’s propensities for control freakery, no doubt their next proposal will be to give police a right of access to people’s homes, in order to check that parents are not drinking alcohol, smoking, or smacking their children, In fact, the only thing that this Government cannot control is thuggery, vandalism, violence and foul-mouthed language. All of which can be traced back to the banning of meaningful discipline in schools – and now, potentially, in the home, which will only serve to make a very bad situation even worse.
Robert D Campbell,
Paisley.
SCOTLAND is one of a fast-diminishing number of countries which retains a legal defence of “justifiable assault” in relation to the physical punishment of children. However, yesterday MSPs took a momentous step forward voting overwhelmingly, by 80 votes to 29, in support of the Equal Protection Bill.
At Aberlour, we work with vulnerable children and young people every day and hold the belief that Scotland’s children deserve the same protection from assault as adults. The focus of this bill is not to criminalise parents, but to protect our children by promoting positive alternatives to physical punishment and help adults develop the skills they need to be confident parents.
There is overwhelming international evidence highlighting the negative effect of physically punishing children, with the potential to damage them emotionally and even risk escalation into physical abuse.
I see no reasonable basis for retaining a defence of justifiable assault of children within Scots Law and would like to commend Children 1st, NSPCC Scotland, Barnardo's and the Children's Young People's Commissioner for their hard work and campaigning on this bill. When it returns to parliament for the final vote later this year, I would encourage those politicians who voted against the bill to do the right thing for Scotland’s children and vote to pass this ban into law.
SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive, Aberlour Child Care Trust, Stirling.
NOW that MSPs have overwhelmingly approved the general principles of new legislation to achieve a smacking ban, will they now take a truly "momentous step" and ban abortion? The latest statistics show that abortion is at a 10-year high in Scotland ("Number of abortions at its highest level in 10 years, report reveals", The Herald, May 29) so what will our MSPs do to help the 255 children killed each week in this so-called civilised and progressive nation of ours? Women and their children deserve better than abortion and the Scottish Government is failing them both.
Martin Conroy,
Cockburnspath.
Share