"Physical violence has no place in 21st century Scotland."

Scotland has made smacking illegal, becoming the first UK country to do so. A new law has made parents hitting their children as punishment illegal, giving minors the same protection from violence as adults. The move, which was voted 84 to 29 by MSPs today, removes the defence of justifiable assault thus making physical punishment against minors illegal. Sky News reports that under the previous law, "reasonable force" could be used by parents and carers to punish their own children in and outside of the home. The bill was introduced by MSP John Finni, who said that "physical violence has no place in 21st century Scotland." "I am absolutely delighted that the Scottish Parliament has taken this historic and courageous step," he said. "The leadership shown by MSPs will send a strong message that violence is never acceptable in any setting, and that our children deserve at least the same legal protections that adults enjoy. "The international evidence tells us that it can have serious impacts on children, and that it is not effective." The ban will mean that Scotland is now aligned with the United Nation's view on physical punishment against children. Smacking was banned in Ireland in 2015 along with all other forms of corporal punishment. MSPs opposed to the bill in Scotland argued that the ban could lead to some parents and carers being criminalised. "I believe violence against children is wrong," said MSP Oliver Mundell. "I don't think that it's foreseeable at all for parents what circumstances they could find themselves entangled with the criminal justice system."