Editing Corporal punishment (section)

===Corporal punishment in the home===
{{Main|Corporal punishment in the home}}
[[File:Ending physical punishment in Wales - English version.webm|thumb|An overview of the [[Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020|Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment Act 2020]], which ends the physical punishment of children everywhere in Wales, including the home]]
Domestic corporal punishment (i.e. the punishment of children by their parents) is often referred to colloquially as "[[spanking]]", "smacking", or "slapping".

It has been outlawed in an increasing number of countries, starting with Sweden in 1979.<ref name="Durrant 1996">{{cite book |last=Durrant |first=Joan E. |editor1=Frehsee, Detlev  |display-editors=etal|title=Family Violence Against Children: A Challenge for Society |date=1996 |location=Berlin |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=3-11-014996-6 |pages=19–25 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8IyJkWAAXjkC&q=%22swedish+ban+on+corporal+punishment%22 |chapter=The Swedish Ban on Corporal Punishment: Its History and Effects}}</ref><ref name="Countries Prohib" /> In some other countries, corporal punishment is legal, but restricted (e.g. blows to the head are outlawed, implements may not be used, only children within a certain age range may be spanked).

In all states of the United States and most African and Asian nations, corporal punishment by parents is legal. It is also legal to use certain implements (e.g. a belt or a paddle).

In Canada, spanking by parents or legal guardians (but nobody else) is legal, with certain restrictions: the child must be between the ages of 2–12, and no implement other than an open, bare hand may be used (belts, paddles, etc. are prohibited). It is also illegal to strike the head when disciplining a child.<ref>{{cite web |title=To spank or not to spank? |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/to-spank-or-not-to-spank-1.795385 |publisher=CBC News |date=31 July 2009 |access-date=17 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Barnett |first=Laura |title=The "Spanking" Law: Section 43 of the Criminal Code |url= http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0510-e.htm |publisher=Parliament of Canada |access-date=17 September 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121016094817/http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0510-e.htm |archive-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the UK (except Scotland and Wales), spanking or smacking is legal, but it must not cause an injury amounting to actual bodily harm (any injury such as visible bruising, breaking of the whole skin, etc.). In addition, in Scotland, since October 2003, it has been illegal to use any implements or to strike the head when disciplining a child, and it is also prohibited to use corporal punishment towards children under the age of 3 years. In 2019, Scotland enacted a ban on corporal punishment, which went into effect in 2020. Wales also enacted a ban in 2020, which has gone into effect in 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 March 2022 |title=Wales introduces ban on smacking and slapping children |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/21/wales-introduces-ban-on-smacking-and-slapping-children |access-date=21 March 2022 |website=The Guardian |location= London}}</ref>

In Pakistan, Section 89 of Pakistan Penal Code allows corporal punishment.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wajeeh |first1=Ul Hassan |title=Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860) |url= http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/legislation/1860/actXLVof1860.html |access-date=8 February 2017 }}</ref>

In 2024, children's doctors urged ministers to ban smacking children in England and Northern Ireland as their report warned that children suffer physically and mentally after being hit in their home. However, the UK government stated there were no plans to change the law on smacking in England and said it would observe the impact of legal amendments in Scotland and Wales.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roxby |first=Philippa |title=Protect children from smacking in England and Northern Ireland, say doctors |date=16 April 2024 |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68827782 |website=BBC News |access-date=17 April 2024}}</ref>