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The Justice
Committee of the Scottish Parliament wants to receive the
views of anyone with an interest in the Criminal Justice Bill.
The Bill includes plans to ban all smacking of children aged
under three. There are also other proposals to further change
the law on the physical punishment of children.
The Christian Institute opposes any change to the current
law on physical punishment. The Institute believes the current
law is firm enough and fair enough, and the new proposals
are totally unworkable. Under the planned new law, ordinary
parents would be plunged into fear and confusion.
It is likely that the issue of a smacking ban will go on until
December 2002, when a crunch vote is expected. As the Criminal
Justice Bill makes progress through the Scottish Parliament
there will be other opportunities for interested parties to
make their views known.
The Christian Institute has published a briefing on the Executive's
smacking proposals. Locking up Parents? can be downloaded
for free (right).
The deadline for submitting evidence is Monday 29 April 2002.
Tips for writing
Sending a submission
Useful documents
Tips for writing:
If you are a lawyer, a police officer
or a social worker and you want to object to the proposals
please contact Jon
Phillips at the Christian Institute for more information.
When making
your submission to the committee:
- Be
brief. One page of A4 is fine. Use your own words.
- Use
well measured and moderate language, but be firm.
- Say
if you yourself were smacked as a child under the age of
three and it never did you any harm.
- Say
if you are a parent.
- Say
if you have smacked your own children under the age of three.
Sending a submission:
Interested individuals and organisations are invited to submit
written evidence to the Committee. The closing date for evidence
is 29 April.
Evidence
at this stage should preferably be typewritten, short and
concise (up to 4 sides of A4). Evidence can be submitted in
electronic form by e-mail (preferably in MS Word 97). Postal
submissions will also be accepted.
Your name
will be published along with your submission, but not your
address. If you would like your name also to be
kept private, but are happy for the text of the submission
to be published, simply state this in your submission. If
you would prefer that nothing of your submission be
published, simply state this in your submission. The Justice
Committee will comply with your request.
Evidence
should be submitted to:
justice.committee@scottish.parliament.uk
Or:
The Justice Committee
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
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