Opening the Conversation - Smacking and the Rights of a Child
Can there ever be enough articles about The Slap, or The Smack? Channel 9 show 60 Minutes re-ignited an ongoing conversation adults are having in Australia about whether it is okay to use corporal punishment with children. And today on Channel 9 show Mornings, I was asked about smacking ...I think it is topical given that the Australian government has announced its intention to create an Australian Children’s Commissioner whose important role will include the consultation of children about their human rights and other issues affecting their wellbeing in Australia. Read full article
I Wasn't Going to Write About This
Last week, a Twitter contact shared one of the most horrific videos I have seen in a long time. It was so traumatic that I couldn't watch much more than a few minutes. I didn't retweet it because the vision was so violent that I thought it required a warning. I was also unsure about its origin because the video was dated 2004 yet seemed to have just hit the internet that day. Since then, the video has gone viral. Read full article
Children Require Discipline But Not Smacking or The Slap
"No one deserves to be hit, let alone a child." "That's just a platitude, a new age bullshit platitude. You need to teach a child discipline and sometimes the discipline has to be physical. That's how we learn what is acceptable and what is not." This conversation from Christos Tsiolkas's novel "The Slap", now a television series which premiered on ABC TV this week, reflects the Australian ambivalence about hitting children. The debate is not about whether children require discipline. They clearly do... Read full article
Smacking Children - Why It is Not the Answer
On 10 December 2010 the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth released a statement called "Smacking is Not the Answer". The media release is supported by UNICEF, The Australian Childhood Foundation, The Benevolent Society, Good Beginnings Australia, Pinky McKay and Families Australia. It's worth a read. Read full article
