New measures banning the smacking of children are to come into effect tomorrow.
According to The Independent, Minister for Children James Reilly this afternoon signed a commencement order for the measures which will see the “reasonable chastisement” defense abolished.
This means that from now on, anyone who slaps their child won’t be able to rely on this defense in the courts.
Speaking about the move, which has been called for by human rights groups for months, Minister Reilly said:
“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.”
