Anti-spanking law in Poland?

There is now a move afoot in Poland to outlaw all corporal punishment,
including even the occasional "klaps" (smack) on the bottom. Opinion is
divided on this.
Nobody is in favour of severe beatings, mutilation or torture, sometimes
leading to crippledom or even death. But when babcia (gran) uses a gentle
slap or tap to prevent a two-year-old running into traffic, or a mother
warns "wait till your dad gets home" as a rearing technique, is that
really a threat to children?
Some observers have noted that it is easy to say outlaw this or that, but what about enforcement?
To enforce a no-spanking law, a widespread snitch network would have to
emerge, something quite unlikely in Poland, where memories of informers in
the service of totalitarian regimes linger on.
How about the underclass of unwed couples living in abysmal filth and
usually addicted to alcohol who are notorious for physically abusing each
other and their children. Those who promote concubinage (informal
cohabitaiton) as something modern, cool and trendy as opposed to "stodgy",
old-fashion marriage, would do well to look into this more closely.
About 3/4 of the Warsaw police's calls to intervene in household violence
involve unmarried couples. Step-partners are especially notorious for physically abusing their partner's kids by another...er, um...what's the word...relationship. It's something to think about.

If you ban smacking your children you may well end up with a generation of little sh!ts who need a damn good smacking. A bit like England.


Could you provide your source please.

This statistic, if correct, suggests some underlying problems that can't simply be solved by getting married

Sick.

I am also anti-spank.I prefer to whip my girlfriends.

Some people love to create artificial problems to turn public attention from real problems.

That is what a Warsaw police spoeksman said several days ago on Poland's all-news channel TVN24.

Hypothetical!

If I was walking down the street and I saw someone "smacking" a child, and I took it apon myself to "smack" said someone. I could rightly be prosecuted for assault!

Assaulting children teaches children only one thing, that it's ok to be violent.

I've said this before. Whatever the question, violence is not the answer.


Except in England we failed to ban this violence towards children so the reason that they are little sh!ts in England has to stem from something else.

We won't accept violence towards any adult so why is it allowed on children?

Think thats bollox. I was hit as a child, but only when i had done something wrong. I knew what the punishment was and duly deserved it. Never in my life have i been in a proper fight or hit someone in anger, because i was brought up the right way.

There is a difference between a beating and a few smacks to discipline an unruly child.

There was also a time when 'six of the best' was used as a teaching aid.

In my experience it seemed to work quite well, but never led me to thrash or spank my own children.

When a spanking is the result of the parent's frustration. It's wrong.
When it is a considered response. It might be justified.

No, that's bollox. If you give an adult "a few smacks" you will be prossecuted because it's assault. So how can it be different when an adult "smacks" a child. I have children with my first wife. We have NEVER smacked any of them and they know the difference between right and wrong.

a child can NEVER "duly deserve" to be assalted by an adult!

Edit


I'm sorry I missed this bit in my haste to respond.

It has sweet fcuk all to do with whether two people are married or not. Before you make your outdated judgements on how people choose live together, can you provide any evidence to back up your outragouse claim that people who live together out of wedlock abuse their children?

It's different because adults are capable of rational thought.

A child poking a metal object into an electrical socket will learn right from wrong a lot quicker, with a quick smack, than if I were to explain the flow of electricity and its consequences.

No it's not Wroclaw. I know from my own personal experience as a child that smacking doesn't teach you right from wrong. I know from my own experience with my own children that despite thier inexperience they're still intelegent human beings and are quite capable of learning without the use of physical violent stimulation!

It teaches you not to get caught again. LOL

I've already stated that I don't smack my kids. But I will not condemn those who feel it is a necessary and justified punishment, on rare occasions.

And this is the problem Wroclaw. Which "rare occasions" do you choose?

When a child puts him/herself in imminent danger. When learning from the mistake should take seconds, not longer. [As in my post 11] or [the example of babcia in post 1]

What we are not considering here is the force behind the smack and the resulting pain. If any evidence of the punishment remains after a few minutes. Then it was too severe.

Also, the age of the child is important.

can you still spank your wife, girlfriend, secretary. ?

According to Southern, a lot of bishop spanking goes on in India

We have a thing called language that children understand very well. A child only has to learn the meaning of dangerous once and then it only takes a second to say that's dangerous. The tone of voice used is important and is far more efective than physical violence. They banned it in Scandinavia a long time ago and they havn't "ended up with a generation of little sh!ts" like VanFunkoolo has sugested.

We banned physical punishment on criminals because it was wrong and didn't work. How anybody can sugest that it can work on a defensless child is beond belief.

You don't need to spank children. That is not true that they will be brats if you don't. Spanking only teaches them to be afraid of their parents and not trust them and it makes them stupid. Maybe all of you who believe in spanking are that way. There are other ways of disciplining children and one is through understanding and communication with the child what is right and what is wrong. Not through physical punishment. What loving mother would even dare inflict pain on her child? That is crazy. People have to open up their minds and see that spanking is cruel and unnecessary. It teaches the wrong things in life. Those who believe in spanking were spanked themselves and think it's the best thing in the world because they are afraid to admit that they are wrong.

hairball,

I find myself defending those who choose spanking. Only because you asked for answers.
I am on the same side as you.

If you were walking down the street and you saw a woman kissing someone, and you took it upon yourself to kiss said woman, you could also be prosecuted for assault!


And, of course, you know all kids, huh?
With some kids only a full scale assault by SWAT teams is the only chance to put them in line ;)

Btw. spanking of kids (within reason) is legit in Canada. They upheld he law about a year or so ago.


What makes you think the psychological punishment would work?

For some this may be true. But both hairball and myself have let it be known that we were either spanked or were punished at school. Neither of us spank our children.

I believe that most cases of spanking are the parents acting out their frustrations. We can see this in shops when a child is smacked in full view of other shoppers. Some folks need to control their emotions and stress a little more. Until they do no law will stop them.

Both of you were spanked.
Both turned out OK therefore spanking doesn't work.

Where's the logic?

I know mate but with the lack of the "perpetrators" "defending" thier actions I debated it with you! You did make it quite clear that you don't use this kind of abuse yourself!


I agree with you 100%

edit:


I have brothers who didn't turn out the same as me!

I cant answer for hairball. I've said all along that spanking may be justified in some cases. It can work. I just don't find the need for using it.

And that's the exact reason why assaulting children should be a crime just as it is for assaulting adults.

So in other words, there is not conclusive evidence that spanking works, nor that it doesn't.


OK, that sound's reasonable.

I wasn't always as I am. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I was violent, but I was quick to react in a negitive way. I believe that that stems from the physical abuse that I experienced as a child.

As erszula has sugested, it made me affraid and mistrustful of adults.

I chose a different path for my children.

I'm in a minority!

I would never recommend more than a police caution if it came to the crunch.

Parenting classes might be an answer. But how and where they should be given is a problem. For most people parenting is something you 'learn on the job'. This is why there has to be some give and take in the way children are brought up. Without education it might be difficult to blame someone for taking the wrong advice.

On the other hand. Nine months should be long enough for potential parents to plan ahead, seek advice and understand their resposibilities, both legal and otherwise.

It is a crime. However sensible physical discipling of a child by an adult is not.
There are pros and cons and examples of each on both sides of the argue. While the law allows parents to use their discretionary discipliary powers to spank their own child it is their choice and we cannot challenge that.