All countries that have banned spanking of children

England’s Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza said spanking should be banned for the safety of children and called on England to follow in the footsteps of Scotland and Wales.

Currently, in England and Northern Ireland, parents are allowed to spank their children as long as it is considered “reasonable punishment”. But de Souza said measures must be taken “to protect every child from harm.”

Corporal punishment of children, including spanking, hitting, slapping and shaking, is illegal in Wales and Scotland. Scotland changed the law to make it illegal in 2020, and Wales followed suit in 2022.

In an interview with The Observer, de Souza said: “We have seen too many cases of children suffering and dying at the hands of the people who should love and care for them the most.

“Banning spanking is a necessary step to ensure the safety of children and prevent violence from escalating to lower levels.”

She added: “Child protection is already legislated in England, but now is the time to go further. If we want every child to live a life of opportunity and happiness, we must start with safety.”

“The way we treat and protect children says something fundamental about society: prohibiting reasonable punishment is an important step in ensuring that the rights of every child are not just respected, but valued.”

In which countries is it illegal to spank children?

As of October 2024, corporal punishment of children is prohibited in 74 countries, including Scotland and Wales.

Sweden was the first country to do this in 1979. The ban was generally considered a success, with the number of children being spanked falling from about half to “just a few percent” in the 2000s, according to Save the Children Sweden.

Although more countries have since banned corporal punishment of children, it remains a minority, with 121 countries yet to do the same. This includes North America, including the USA and Canada, England and Northern Ireland.

You can see a full map of countries where spanking of children is prohibited, and those that are not, below. Blue areas indicate where spanking is prohibited.

Will spanking of children ever be banned in England?

Although there were constant calls in England for the government to ban corporal punishment of children, such a ban was never introduced.

Last year the government rejected calls to do so and said children were already protected by law. He argued that parents should be trusted to discipline their children.

“The government does not condone any violence against children and has clear laws to prevent it,” a Department of Education spokesman said at the time.

But charities and activists condemned the government’s decision. The NSPCC, Barnardo’s and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) believe children should have the same protection as adults.

In August, the NSPCC said calls to its child abuse hotline had increased by more than 300%.

It said the harassing calls included, but were not limited to, beating, slapping and shaking children as part of discipline and punishment.

Sir Peter Wanless, director general of the NSPCC, said in a statement: “It is hugely worrying that the number of calls to our helpline about adults using physical measures to discipline their children has tripled in the last year.

“More and more evidence shows that physically disciplining children can be harmful and counterproductive. Our political leaders must make long overdue changes to the law to prevent the physical punishment of children.

“The new UK Government has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to protecting children and eliminate this legal anomaly, ending the use of physical punishment across the UK once and for all.”

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