Media release from EPOCH New Zealand
11 January 2010

Research into “smacking”outcomes

American research that is supposed to show children do better at school if they are smacked was given an airing internationally and by some NZ media last week. Its significance is in doubt because it flies in the face of decades of research worldwide.

Reputable researchers have raised some questions about the methodology and results of this research. Even so, it is now being promoted in New Zealand by opponents of the 2007 S59 law change as a reason to overturn the 2007 law.

In any case the law was changed not only because children perform better when they aren’t smacked but because, like men, women and even animals, they have a right to live their lives free from the threat of assault. We do not ask if smacking adults would make them behave better. We prohibit it on the grounds that it is not right.

Setting that argument aside, there is now a large body of respectable scientific research from all over the world to show that on the whole children who are moderately or severely physically punished do not do well. Even the habit of lesser degrees of punishment runs the risk of escalation to serious abuse and keeping a culture of violence going.

The study has not been published and on the face of it is of doubtful merit. At the very least its methods should be scrutinised through proper scientific peer review and its findings, if found to be valid, confirmed by further study. The real question is, ‘Why is so much being made of this rather obscure report?’

EPOCH New Zealand (End Physical Punishment of Children)
www.epochnz.org.nz

ENDS