Pressure on UK to ban smacking
The Guardian newspaper in the UK recently reported on the increased pressure the Council of Europe is applying on the UK to introduce a full legal ban on all physical punishment of children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/25/law-reform-smacking-europe-uk
The Council of Europe monitors compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights. Under this Convention punitive action can be taken against signatory countries where they are found guilty of breaching the Convention. Over ten years ago the UK was found guilty and fined in a case of physical punishment of a child. A recommendation was also made that all physical punishment of children be made illegal.
Despite this recommendation the picture in the UK is a confused one with those to smack children in the home and in some settings outside the home being able to use a statutory defence in circumstances where limited force used in the course of discipline is deemed reasonable in the circumstances.