A United Nations committee has condemned Australians’ use of corporal punishment, directing the country to ban it in all settings including the home.
UN pushes for Australian smacking ban
Australian parents would face criminal consequences for smacking their children if the country adopted a United Nations push to outlaw corporal punishment.
The United Nations Committee Against Torture has directed Australia to put an outright ban on corporal punishment, extending from the school gate into the home.
In its recent concluding observations, the committee noted it was concerned corporal punishment remains lawful under the label of so-called ‘reasonable chastisement’ in the home throughout Australia, as well as in day care and alternative care settings, public and private schools and detention centres in some states and territories.
“The committee urges the state party (Australia) to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in law in all settings,” it said.