Is physical punishment child abuse?
This is a common question without a nice neat answer. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes physical punishment can go too far, and crosses the line from being ‘reasonable’ and ‘moderate’ and causes a child’s body to be injured (from mild bruising to death). In South Australia, the ‘Common Law’ allows physical punishment as long as it is ‘reasonable’ and ‘moderate’. Over the years judges have decided what this means on each case. It is fair to say that there are different views about what is, or is not, ‘reasonable’ and ‘moderate’ physical punishment. When we remind ourselves that it is against the law to hit or hurt an adult (assault) – why can it be okay to do the same to a child who is smaller and vulnerable? It helps to put yourself in your child’s shoes, and think about what it would feel like.
