France is the latest country to ban corporal punishment in a bid to protect its children. Now 52 countries in the world have decided to ban "any cruel, degrading, or humiliating treatment, including corporal punishment" (such as smacking) Here in Ireland, we banned slapping as a defence last year with the former Minister for Health, James Reilly, saying:

“The removal of the Common Law defence sends a strong message which will, I hope, lead to a cultural change across Irish society that corporal punishment is wrong. We have not created any new offence but rather we are removing something that has its roots in a completely different era and societal context."

This topic always provokes a very passionate debate.

Is it fair to yield such physical power over anyone else, especially a fearful child? Has it become an acceptable norm because of the 'wooden spoon' culture we grew up with?

I suppose the first thing is to define what we are speaking about: a short sharp one-handed slap to the bum or hand. Many of us were raised with the threat of a 'good slap' and some believe 'it did us no harm.' But is that still a form of domestic violence? Now new information which incorporates five decades of research suggests that the appropriateness of slapping as a discipline tool has a very lasting psychological effect on children. And there may be a large price to pay. Many studies don't distinguish between physical violence towards our children compared to a quick tap on the bum and that is where the lines really get blurred. After analysing over 160 thousand children, Dr Elizabeth Gershoff from the University of Texas found that not only is it a very ineffective way to get children to follow parents wishes, but there is also an association between slapping and 13 out of 17 detrimental outcomes they tested for.

"We found that spanking was associated with unintended detrimental outcomes and was not associated with more immediate or long-term compliance, which are parents' intended outcomes when they discipline their children. On top of this, the traditional line that “it never did me any harm” doesn't stand up very well. Adults who were spanked as a child were more likely to suffer mental health problems and to behave in anti-social ways."

Dr Gershoff says her research always draws a backlash.

"We as a society think of spanking and physical abuse as distinct behaviors. Yet our research shows that spanking is linked with the same negative child outcomes as abuse, just to a slightly lesser degree."

What do you think Mamas? Did you get smacked as a child and feel strongly about the issue? We would love to hear your opinions on this.