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Tell the Government that equal protection from assault is every child’s human right

CRAE is part of the CHILDREN ARE UNBEATABLE! ALLIANCE which believes that children should have the same protection as adults from assault under the law.

The law on assault gives children less protection than adults even though children are still developing and may be more vulnerable than adults. Section 58 of the Children Act 2004 allows parents and others to justify common assault of children as “reasonable punishment”.

We believe that it is unjust and dangerous to have “acceptable” ways of hitting children. Smacking, slapping or any physical punishment of children is violent behaviour which is already banned between adults. We believe this should not be allowed as “reasonable punishment”.

The Government has launched a review of section 58, and is asking people what they think of the “reasonable punishment” rule. You can tell the Government what you think about it.

The Government has been told by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and other human rights bodies that the law must be changed to give children equal protection under the law on assault.

Please take part in the review consultation and tell the Government that equal protection is every child’s human right!

What you can do

Fill in the consultation response form and send it by email to , or submit it online. You can download it from the Department for Children, Schools and Families website

The most important question to answer is number one

“To what extent has section 58 improved legal protection for children in cases of alleged assault by their parents?”

This is asking if you think the “reasonable punishment” rule gives children more protection from assault than they had before.

You can use this opportunity to say that equal protection from assault is every child’s human right and that the law must change to reflect this.

The deadline for telling the Government your views is 10 August 2007.

Some tips

When you are filling in the form, make sure you write down your name and address. Remember to tick the ‘Other’ box, and write that you are a child or young person.
Although there are nine questions, you don’t need to answer all of them. You can write as little or as much as you like.
The questions ask you to give evidence with your answers. This means the Government wants to know the reasons behind your opinion. You can back up your answers by sharing your own experiences. As a child or young person, you can tell the Government what things are like from your perspective.
You can also remind the Government of its human rights commitments. Equal protection for children is a human right, and does not need to be justified with “evidence”. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the European Committee of Social Rights and all of the UK Children’s Commissioners have told the Government that to protect children’s rights they must give children equal protection from violence.