Alex+Opinion+Writing

__ The Smacking Law __ A smack is a way of disciplining bad behaviour. A smack is defined as when a parent or caregiver hits their child with their hand to correct their actions. But what the parent might not know is that the smack may actually hurt children and since the parent or caregiver has deliberately placed pain, it is classed as a crime. It is classed as a crime because in New Zealand there has been a law against smacking since June, 2007 when the bill was passed. A postal referendum is due to be held in August, 2009 where the government will decide whether or not smacking should stay illegal. Sue Bradford and other members of the Green Party think that smacking should be be illegal but other people disagree with Sue Bradford's opinion and have been holding petitions and debates. I personally think smacking should be illegal because of the way it can hurt children without the parent knowing and if the adult uses enough force, it can seriously injure the child.

Firstly, smacking, as I have stated, is hurtful and without knowing it a parent or caregiver could injure their child. When an adult smacks a child; since they are so much bigger than the child and with the force of their smack, it could actually harm their child. Even though the parent may think they are disciplining their child, smacking doesn't actually teach a child anything. If you sit down and talk about what the child did and why they did it, you will understand what made them do what and then you can give them a reasonable punishment. If an adult just smacks them, the child may not know what they did wrong and they may feel unsafe and scared. Children should never feel unsafe, especially around their parents.

Another reason why I agree with the law is because when an adult is hit or attacked, they will place charges, but when a child is hit, the child can't do anything about it. Children should be allowed and receive the same legal safety from violent behaviour as adults receive. While parents are allowed to place charges, a child would have to put up with hits or smacks from their parents when they misbehave. This may even resort to violence in what's supposed to be a family home. Some parents may even smack their child even though the child has done nothing wrong. Smacking will also reduce the about of cases in court because instead of trying to decide whether it was abuse or smacking, the police will know straight away that the parent smacked the child which would be illegal. This is because parents and caregivers will know that smacking is illegal and that if they smack their children to teach them good behaviour, they may be reported to the police. The police can then focus on more serious cases. In conclusion, I believe that smacking should stay illegal. A smack can harm children without the caregiver realising it. Children should also be allowed to feel safe around their parents and if they smack them, it isn’t going to make them feel any safer than they do now. If adults can press charges after they have been abused, children should be allowed. Having a law that makes it a crime to smack a child will also reduce the amount of cases in court because parents and caregivers will know it is illegal. Overall, because of all these reasons I have stated, I strongly agree with the law against smacking and that it should be illegal to smack a child to teach them good behaviour.

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