Laws on smacking children questioned

A senior member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has questioned whether Irish laws on smacking mean parents can be good role models for their children.

Speaking at a conference in Dublin yesterday organised by the Campaign for Children, Dr Maria Herczog, said: “If you are hitting your child, why are we expecting your child to be non-violent and non-aggressive?”

She said similar questions needed to be posed to teachers who engaged in “verbal humiliation” of students. She added that adults often forget that children do not learn from what adults say but from what they do, and that “the most important component is the role model”.