Smacking Children - Corporal Punishment - Proposed repeal of Section 59 of N Z Crimes Act - Petition by PANIC            

Proposed Petition by PANIC  

On 17^th October 2001 John Tonson  [email protected] from PANIC, (Parents Against Negative Intervention by Child Youth & Family), sent a message encouraging people to send a message of support to Hon Phil Goff backing his pro-parent & pro-child stance on retaining the legal right (section 59) for parents to use reasonable force in child discipline.

Tonson says: �I believe appropriate physical discipline is often the most efficient, effective and loving way to correct a child.  Child rearing would be far more difficult without it. True, removing it would not make smacking illegal unless the law said as much but the proposed change would reinforce the minority view that smacking is wrong and give CYF even more leverage to call smacking "abuse" and take children away from their parents. I would like input from the men�s groups on the wording of our proposed petition re discipline before launching it with your great energy and assistance!

PANIC is proposing to launch a petition � the current draft is as follows: �That the right of parents to use reasonable force in disciplining children, as provided for in section 59 of the Crimes Act, be retained as essential to good parenting and the effective upbringing of children.�

 Next page: This lead to a vigorous debate among members of father's groups.

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