The French National Assembly voted Friday in favour of a largely symbolic ban on parents smacking their children, a practice which though condemned by the UN still enjoys widespread support in the country.
France is launching a new drive to ban the smacking of children, a practise which, though condemned by the UN, still enjoys widespread support in the country. But will it succeed?
A French law condemning the smacking of children has been struck down by the Constitutional Council, dismaying opponents of a practice for which France has been rapped by the UN.
France, which has come under fire for not fully banning smacking, must "explicitly prohibit" all forms of corporal punishment of children, a UN report said Thursday, criticising its treatment of Roma and asylum-seeking minors.
After human right's watchdog the Council of Europe declared that France should ban smacking completely, The Local talks to the UK charity whose complaint prompted the ruling and a French families organisation who are staunchly against outlawing corporal punishment.
A top European human rights watchdog gave France a stern telling off on Wednesday ruling that the country was in violation of a European treaty because it did not fully ban the smacking of children.
The French government says it will resist pressure for it to bring in an outright ban on smacking children, despite the fact it is set to be condemned by Europe’s top human rights body for failing to clearly outlaw corporal punishment.
Europe's top human right's body the Council of Europe is set to rule whether France should implement a clear and total ban on smacking children, after a British charity lodged a formal complaint that France was flouting European standards.
As a provocative new anti-smacking video campaign by the Fondation pour l'Enfance (Foundation for Childhood) causes a stir in France, the man behind the drive Dr. Gilles Lazimi tells The Local why France needs a law banning parents from smacking their kids.
