SCOTLAND, U.K., September, 6, 2001: Parents in Scotland will not be able to smack children under the age of three under proposals announced by the Scottish Executive. The move, unveiled on Thursday by Justice Minister Jim Wallace, will also make it illegal to hit children on the head, shake them or strike them with an implement. The proposals will also see a ban on corporal punishment in childcare centres, by childminders and in non-publicly funded pre-school centres. Opposition parties gave a mixed response to the plan — the Scottish National Party said it would support the move, while the Conservatives branded it “misconceived.” “While we believe that parents should have the rights to set the grounds for the discipline of their children, we felt there was a strong need for greater clarification of the law as to what is defined a ‘reasonable’ punishment,” said Wallace.
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