Children 1st et al Briefing – Equal Protection for Children in Scotland

At present in Scotland, it is lawful for a parent or someone caring for a child to use physical punishment. This means that children are afforded less protection from assault than adults.  However, there is clear evidence that physical punishment is ineffective in improving children’s behaviour and in fact has an adverse impact of children’s wellbeing.

John Finnie MSP is currently consulting on a draft Member’s Bill which would remove the legal defence of ‘justifiable assault’ to ensure that children are offered the same protection from assault as adults.  This briefing provides an overview of the positive reasons for this legislative change that would give children an equal right to protection.

Read the briefing here: Children 1st etc Briefing – Equal Protection for Children July 2017