EPOCH New Zealand

May 2006

Children are Unbeatable: 7 very good reasons not to hit children

Children are Unbeatable; 7 very good reasons not to hit children was launched by the Governor General Dame Sylvia Cartwright, on Monday March 20 2006, at the Grand Hall in Parliament. Recent research indicates that many children in New Zealand still experience physical punishment on a regular basis and too many of them experience harsh physical discipline. There are many poor outcomes associated with experiencing physical discipline. It is not an effective way of positively shaping children's behaviour. Rhonda Pritchard, the author of Children are Unbeatable; 7 very good reasons not to hit children, sets out to identify common justifications for the use of physical discipline and to challenge the myths and assumptions that are used to maintain these justifications. Rhonda does this in an informed and informal way without criticising or judging parents.

The themes of the book are:

  • Hitting children leaves them feeling hurt and confused.
  • Hitting children is a breach of their human rights.
  • Hitting children does do them harm.
  • Hitting children can lead to injury.
  • That the "rod" is not for hitting but for guiding and comforting.
  • Hitting conflicts with the essential goals of childrearing.
  • Hitting is not necessary to control children's behaviour.

The book is aimed at people who work with families to provide them with the information necessary to encourage parents not to hit their children and copies are also available with a PowerPoint presentation provided on a compact disc.  The booklet is easy to read and understand and many parents will find reading it an enjoyable and informative experience.

Children are Unbeatable; 7 very good reasons not to hit children is published by UNICEF and the Office of the Children's Commissioner and can be obtained free of charge from: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.