Trigger warning: This blog contains information about the physical abuse of children
In Scotland and Wales it is illegal to use physical punishment against your child, as it is viewed as common assault in law. However, the law in Northern Ireland and England currently only protects adults from common assault. Parents and caregivers can use the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ to justify the physical punishment of children.
How adults should punish children in their care is an often emotive issue and raises strong and varying opinions. At Thirtyone:eight, we are aware that across faith communities, viewpoints on this issue differ. However, removing reasonable punishment, or ‘reasonable chastisement’, from the law is one of the key asks in our manifesto. As a charity, we want children to have equal protection across all four nations of the UK.
What is ‘reasonable punishment’?
In English and Northern Irish law, "reasonable punishment" allows parents or caregivers to defend physically punishing a child, as long as the punishment is considered "moderate and reasonable." However, this is open to interpretation, which can put children at risk. It also means that adults may not be prosecuted for assault if the punishment is seen as reasonable and causes little or no injury.
Research shows that physical punishment can still harm children, even if it's considered ‘mild’. Right now, children in Wales and Scotland are protected from this, but those in England and Northern Ireland aren’t. Removing this defence would help make sure all children in the UK have the same protection.
Why is this in the news?
In February 2025, Dame Rachel de Souza (The Children’s Commissioner for England) released a statement against the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence, calling for it to be removed from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
This blog covers the key issues and the timeline of events. With the most recent developments at the top.
May 2025 - Ending the physical punishment of children - joint briefing paper
A briefing paper has been put together by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health detailing the importance of giving children in England equal protection from assault. This paper calls for support to amend the common law to remove the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’.
Over 20 organisations have signed the briefing paper including Thirtyone:eight.
Read the briefing paper here:
Ending the physical punishment of children - joint briefing.
1st May 2025 – Children’s Commissioners unite to call for equal protection for children from assault in the UK.
On the 1st of May, Dame Rachel de Souza (England), Nicola Killean (Scotland), Rocio Cifuentes (Wales) and Chris Quinn (Northern Ireland) united to make a joint statement to call for equal protection for children from assault across the UK.
Currently children in Scotland and Wales are protected in law, however children in England and Northern Ireland are not currently protected in law from assault.
The Commissioners make clear in their statement that they are united in their view that they are against any defence in law which allows the punishment of children and that children across the UK deserve the same legal protection from assault as adults.
You can read the Children’s Commissioners statements here:
Children’s Commissioners unite to call for equal protection for children from assault in UK
February 2025 - Children’s Commissioner (England) produced briefing paper on the equal protection from assault for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Dame Rachel de Souza (Children’s Commissioner – England) released a statement against the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence in common law that currently means that if a parent or carer commits assault against their child, they may be able to argue that it was legitimate and lawful.
In her statement, the Children’s Commissioner calls for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to remove the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ in England.
The Children’s Commissioner has produced a briefing paper on the change required to the law in England and the opportunity that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has to do this.
You can read the statement here:
Equal protection from assault for children - Briefing for the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
You can read the briefing here:
Equal-protection-from-assault-for-children-CCo-briefing-Feb-24.pdf
December 2024 – Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother sentenced to life for her murder
In December 2024, Sara Sharif’s father (Urfan Sharif) and stepmother (Beinash Batool) were found guilty of murdering her and were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sara's murder brought the subject of physical punishment back to national attention because her father said to the police that the abuse he inflicted on his daughter amounted to ‘reasonable punishment’.
Sara Sharif’s was murdered in August 2023 in Surrey, England. She was subjected to regular physical abuse and suffered bruises, burns and broken bones.
You can read more about this here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8jnggdj0qo
Sara Sharif trial: 'Sadistic' killers jailed for murder - BBC News
April 2024 - Thirtyone:eight published their manifesto
Thirtyone:eight, the UK’s leading independent Christian safeguarding charity, published its first-ever manifesto setting out the key opportunities it has identified to improve policy, legislation and guidance to offer greater protection from harm and abuse to all children and adults living in the UK.
The manifesto, entitled ‘Together we can - a manifesto for a safer society for all’, contains a number of key recommendations grouped into three main themes. The recommendations aim to strengthen the safeguards that are already in place, better protect victims and survivors of abuse, and create safer environments for all. One of the key recommendations is the removal of ‘reasonable punishment’ from common law in England and Northern Ireland, to bring protections in line with Scotland and Wales.
You can read Thirtyone:eight’s manifesto here:
November 2020 – Scotland removed the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence
On the 7th of November 2020, the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence was removed from The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019.
This provision means that all forms of physical punishment of children are against the law in Scotland, and children have the same legal protection from assault as adults. The police can charge a parent or carer with assault against a child. Parents or carers charged with assault cannot use the defence of 'reasonable punishment’.
You can read about this here:
Physical punishment and discipline of children: the law - gov.scot
March 2022 – Wales removed the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence
On the 21st of March 2020, The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) Act came into force in Wales.
This provision means that all physical punishment of children is now illegal in Wales, including by parents, carers or anyone acting in loco parentis, in any setting. It gives children the same legal protection from assault as adults and removes the confusion that previously existed as to what constituted a ‘reasonable’ level of physical punishment.
You can read about this here:
Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 | Law Wales