Sunday, September 28, 2008
Final thoughts
Okay this is just to sum things up. Personally I think that the anti-smacking bill is a stupid piece of legislation (much like that of putting microchips in dogs to stop them attacking children) that does not address the actual problem it was meant to fix. Children are being beaten to death not smacked to death, Anti-Beating law? Could that have been a better idea? If we were trying to stop people murdering each other would we call it the anti-assault law?
Reading through blogs I have found that a lot of people say things like "I was abused as a child and would never do that to my children", statements similar to this have been repeated throughout the blogs i have looked at. Not to belittle or make fun of the fact that these people were abused, but these people were "abused" not smacked and thus in my opinion incapable of understanding the difference. I can say quite openly that I was smacked as a child, and thinking back I can remember more often than not I deserved it (whether or not i have simply been brainwashed to believe this I cannot say).
I looked forward to the forth coming referendum, and hope this time that it is given its due process rather than being steamrolled through parliament like it was last time.
Reading through blogs I have found that a lot of people say things like "I was abused as a child and would never do that to my children", statements similar to this have been repeated throughout the blogs i have looked at. Not to belittle or make fun of the fact that these people were abused, but these people were "abused" not smacked and thus in my opinion incapable of understanding the difference. I can say quite openly that I was smacked as a child, and thinking back I can remember more often than not I deserved it (whether or not i have simply been brainwashed to believe this I cannot say).
I looked forward to the forth coming referendum, and hope this time that it is given its due process rather than being steamrolled through parliament like it was last time.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Whats happening Now
Like it or not, the Anti-smacking bill and the repeal of section 59 of the crimes act happened, and the problems that those in opposition to the new law foresaw (the persecution of good parents) began to arise.
Now because of the Kiwi Party and other opponents of the law have gathered enough signatures, they have now secured approval for a referendum on the new law.
Larry Baldock of the aforementioned Kiwi Party says the anti-smacking bill is criminalizing good parents and that stopping this was there number one priority.
Having looked around for studies and surveys on the anti-smacking law and the publics opinion of it, i have found no unbiased studies. Phrases like "Family First, a group that campaigns for the right to smack, has commissioned a survey that finds 48 per cent of parents of children under 12 have given them a smack in the year since the law was changed" are thrown about with no context or background to what has been said (they fail to mention how many people where surveyed and where etc).
However the fact that over 300,000 signatures have been collected to initiate the referendum is proof enough (for me at least), that the public does not support the new law.
That is basically where we are up to now in terms of whats happening with the law and the referendum.
Now because of the Kiwi Party and other opponents of the law have gathered enough signatures, they have now secured approval for a referendum on the new law.
Larry Baldock of the aforementioned Kiwi Party says the anti-smacking bill is criminalizing good parents and that stopping this was there number one priority.
Having looked around for studies and surveys on the anti-smacking law and the publics opinion of it, i have found no unbiased studies. Phrases like "Family First, a group that campaigns for the right to smack, has commissioned a survey that finds 48 per cent of parents of children under 12 have given them a smack in the year since the law was changed" are thrown about with no context or background to what has been said (they fail to mention how many people where surveyed and where etc).
However the fact that over 300,000 signatures have been collected to initiate the referendum is proof enough (for me at least), that the public does not support the new law.
That is basically where we are up to now in terms of whats happening with the law and the referendum.
Friday, September 19, 2008
My Opinion
The repeal of section 59 of the crimes act relating to child abuse in my opinion is greatly flawed, and came to be law through somewhat deceptive means (i will explain what i mean by this later on in other postings).
Personally I am a bit conflicted in terms of my opinions on this issue, while I in no way condone child abuse in any way, I have never really had a problem with a child being punished with a smack. I had never really thought of a smack as abuse, I can understand that given the physical nature of the act that it can definitely lead to abuse, but lighting a match can start a fire, should we burn matches? The comparison is a little crude but you get my point. The only confliction I have is that making it illegal to smack may stop the odd parent from smacking, by extension it could stop that smacking turning to abuse and eventually leading to the death of a child (as of yet the changes to the law haven’t changed any statistics relating to the deaths of children caused by child abuse).
Personally I am a bit conflicted in terms of my opinions on this issue, while I in no way condone child abuse in any way, I have never really had a problem with a child being punished with a smack. I had never really thought of a smack as abuse, I can understand that given the physical nature of the act that it can definitely lead to abuse, but lighting a match can start a fire, should we burn matches? The comparison is a little crude but you get my point. The only confliction I have is that making it illegal to smack may stop the odd parent from smacking, by extension it could stop that smacking turning to abuse and eventually leading to the death of a child (as of yet the changes to the law haven’t changed any statistics relating to the deaths of children caused by child abuse).
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Points of view
When Sue Bradfords anti-smacking bill was going through the various motions in parliament, there was both strong opposition and support for the bill.
Those that supported the bill (which is now law) generally believe that any striking of a child constitutes abuse, no matter the strength of the strike or the circumstances surrounding it. This is a common belief that unified those that were in support of the bill at the time.
Unlike those who supported the bill, those who were in opposition to it were not so unified in there reasons, however they did have more reason to oppose it. A common reason for opposition to the bill was parents were worried that they would be prosecuted for what they thought was good parenting. Not wanting the state to control how we raise our children and the strong belief that smacking was not child abuse, these were some of the other reasons.
While I will express my views later on it thought it might be best to first have some perspective.
Those that supported the bill (which is now law) generally believe that any striking of a child constitutes abuse, no matter the strength of the strike or the circumstances surrounding it. This is a common belief that unified those that were in support of the bill at the time.
Unlike those who supported the bill, those who were in opposition to it were not so unified in there reasons, however they did have more reason to oppose it. A common reason for opposition to the bill was parents were worried that they would be prosecuted for what they thought was good parenting. Not wanting the state to control how we raise our children and the strong belief that smacking was not child abuse, these were some of the other reasons.
While I will express my views later on it thought it might be best to first have some perspective.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Introduction
Child abuse is a very serious issue we as New Zealanders are faced with everyday, is that child crying because its hungry or because its just been beaten? This is often one of the most difficult questions to answer, and one of the reasons child abuse is hard to police and prevent. While child abuse is an important issue, my blog will focus mainly on the Anti-smacking law that was passed last year.
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