Sophie S Havighurst, Ben Mathews, Frances L Doyle, Divna M Haslam, Karl Andriessen, Carmen Cubillo, Sharon Dawe, David J Hawes, Cynthia Leung, Trevor G Mazzucchelli, Alina Morawska, Sarah Whittle, Carys Chainey, Daryl J Higgins
OBJECTIVE: Across all of Australia's states and territories, it is legal for a parent or carer to hit their child. In this paper, we outline the legal context for corporal punishment in Australia and the argument for its reform. METHODS: We review the laws that allow corporal punishment, the international agreements on children's rights, the evidence on the effects of corporal punishment, and outcomes of legislative reform in countries that have changed their laws to prohibit corporal punishment...
April 17, 2023: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health