Slapping children declared illegal in Scotland

EDINBURGH: It is illegal to slap children in Scotland after the country's parliament approved a bill, tabled last year, for children's protection.

With the new law, Scotland has now become the first country of the United Kingdom to impose a ban on slapping children.

Children have been provided complete protection given to elders in Scotland but parents in various parts of Britain will still be allowed to slap their children for appropriate reasons.

The allowance of these exceptions will be determined after reviewing each case but these exceptions must not be availed to give children such physical punishment which may harm any part of their bodies.

Under the new Scottish law, children below 16 cannot be slapped and parents may face legal action in case of hurting their children through physical punishment.

There will be restrictions on parents under the law to slap on the face or any part of the body, beating with the hand or any other object, throwing them out, fists or snatching hair. Children will also not to be forced to sit on any uncomfortable place.

Meanwhile, the bill is also being opposed by a section of people in Scotland and the group running the protest campaign has termed it a horrible law.

This group says that the law has provided curtailed powers to parents and expressed horror that a slap will now become crime.