November 2004
ISPCAN International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Conference was held recently in Brisbane. Of the papers on aspects of physical punishment, many came from New Zealand. Professor Anne Smith and her team from the Children's Issues Centre at University of Otago presented aspects of the extensive literature review they have completed (see last EPOCH Newsletter). Jane Ritchie reviewed the four-decade study of New Zealand families "Discipline, Punishment and Child Abuse".
Jane reported:
Though many child rearing practices in New Zealand have changed over the decades since 1969 - families are smaller, mothers are more satisfied, fathers are helping more - parental use of physical punishment continues at much the same level in spite of campaigns to educate parents about safer and more effective alternatives to smacking.
It was disappointing that the ISPCAN conference gave low priority to ending physical punishment. Most papers on the topic were scheduled in two concurrent sessions to be presented in a time slot after the farewell luncheon. One of these sessions was eventually rescheduled earlier in the conference.