A news that gives us joy to share and that is a triumph for respectful parenting: France passed a new law that prohibits physical punishment of children and that will force parents to seek other measures to discipline their children.
While child abuse was already illegal in France, physical punishment in children continued without being sanctioned or prohibited, reasons why almost two years ago this country was harshly criticized for not legislating against them.
According to a study conducted during that time, in France the 82% of people opposed banning children whipping and the number of people who had confessed to hitting a minor was 67%.
On that occasion, the Council of Europe gave them a warning as a result of the denunciation of the British NGO Approach that France received, for the absence of a specific prohibition of all types of corporal punishment of children.
Regarding this new law in France, approved on December 22, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Marta Santos Pais stated the following:
"The adoption of this new law marks a very important commitment towards the protection against violence of more than 14 million children living in France. Ending cruel, degrading and humiliating treatment is an indispensable component of a comprehensive national strategy for prevention and elimination of child violence, it establishes the basis for a culture of respect for children's rights, safeguards the physical dignity and physical integrity of children, and encourages positive discipline and child education through non-violent means. "
In 1979, Sweden was the first country to establish a specific ban on physical punishment and abuse of children and since then about 50 countries have followed in their footsteps, including Spain, where it is a crime to hit a minor. Hopefully other countries continue to do so., because there is still a law in many that prohibits this type of punishment of children, which more than benefit them only hurts them.
