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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 10/05/2002 5:29:24 AM PDT by Mark Felton
United Nations urges Blair to outlaw smacking (spanking) By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent (Filed: 05/10/2002)
Britons who smack their children at home were criticised yesterday by a committee of the United Nations.
In a report highly critical of Britain's treatment of its young, the UN committee on the rights of the child deeply regretted that ministers had not banned smacking.
Tony Blair, who admits to smacking his children, should promote "positive and non-violent" forms of discipline and stress the negative effects of corporal punishment, it said.
The committee also voiced concern about teenage pregnancy and suicide rates, the low age of criminal responsibility and mental health problems among the young.
Although Mr Blair banned corporal punishment in schools, parents can use "reasonable" force with unruly children.
Jacob Doek, the committee chairman, said: "We are talking about alternative forms of disciplining children because we are not saying children should not be disciplined.
"But is it necessary to hit them over the head or kick them in the butt?" he asked.
His committee include representives from Brazil, where a report six years ago said children's beatings, arrest and violent death at the hands of extremist groups were commonplace.
Other countries represented were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Thailand, Italy, Egypt, Israel, Burkina Faso and Finland.
Defending the Government's record, John Denham, minister for young people, said he thought a mild smack was perfectly reasonable, although the extent of smacking should be reduced.
Britain's children and young people's unit said it was opposed to violence against children but parenting was difficult and "we must avoid heavy-handed intrusion into family life".
Family campaigners were more outraged. Dr Adrian Rogers of Family Focus, formerly the Conservative Family Institute, said the UN report was "another politically correct move" to make it more impossible to be a parent.
He said: "This is all part of making children untouchable. If the UN is really interested in children's rights, it ought to give rights to parents. It is acting like the religious police."
Lady Walmsley, an ambassador for the NSPCC, said the 10 countries where smacking was illegal had seen a considerable reduction in child abuse.
The UN committee is the most powerful outside body monitoring the Government's record on aspects relating to Britain's 13.5 million children.
It monitors all 191 countries around the world that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The only countries not to adopt the convention are the United States and Somalia.
The audit is five-yearly and the main points were: *
**Government was urged to drop the defence of "reasonable chastisement", which some believe could outlaw parents smacking their children. *
**The committee was concerned that the age of criminal responsibility was eight in Scotland and 10 in the rest of Britain. *
**There were worries about the increasing number of children in custody for lesser offences and for longer periods of time. *
**Criticism of conditions in young offenders' institutions, with high levels of violence, bullying, self-harm and suicide. *
**It worried that children born out of marriage or IVF treatment and adopted children had no right to know their biological parents' identity. *
**It said measures such as better sex education were needed to address the problem of teenage pregnancies.
Best to outlaw the United Nations. Their intent seems to be focused on the demise of greater nations.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Where women have no rights and boys are commonly raped by family members. The US and UK need to get out of the UN and watch it implode on itself.
This would be disasterous to British comedy media as the shows with references to sexualtity would have to be re-written....../sarcasm
Outrageous as it seems, they are very serious. . .
If you love the UN
more than America,
you are an UNamerican!
Good point. . .for the bogus, modus-operandi of this organizaition.
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