Children are unbeatable!
Did you know that in the UK it is legal for some people to hit children?
But the Children are Unbeatable! Alliance wants to change that, and make it illegal for anyone to hurt children.
This website will tell you more about the law and explain how you can help.
This is our website for children and young people. Our website for adults is here.
NEW updated resources page - click here!
Update - September 2011
What you can do
Sign a petition against smacking. The petition calls for the Government to abolish (get rid of) the legal defence which allows adults to hit children. Read more about the law here.
Like our page on Facebook. Or if you already like the page, why not ask your friends to like it in your status? Link to: www.facebook.com/childrenareunbeatablealliance. (Note: Facebook asks that under 13s do not attempt to use the site, and recommends that 13-18 year olds ask their parents or carers for permission. If you are under 13, please do not use Facebook to support us.)
Have you been “restrained”? If you have been hurt while being “restrained” (held back or physically stopped from doing something) at school, in prison or anywhere else, get in touch with CRAE. Read on for more about restraint in schools and prisons.
News
The riots
Lots of people, including politicians, blamed children and young people for the riots in August, although only one in five people who went to court because of the riots was under 18. On August 11, David Cameron, the prime minister, said that it was clear from the television scenes of looting that “a lot of it was done by very young children who should have been under the control of their parents.”
Nobody talked about “smacking” in connection with the riots, even though hitting children can teach them that using violence is OK. But David Cameron also said that the government has to “get out there and make a positive difference to the way families work, the way people bring up their children” and that the government should be less sensitive to claims that intervening in family life was “interfering or nannying”.
Schools
The government has decided to get rid of new rules which would have meant that schools had to tell children’s parents when teachers use force on children.
We think that this is wrong. Teachers may sometimes need to restrain children (hold them back), for example to stop them hurting themselves or others. But it is important to make sure that they do it safely and only to protect children, not to punish them. One way of doing this is to make sure that other people, including children’s parents, know when teachers use force. This is especially important for children who find it hard to tell people about what happens to them – for example, young children and children with some disabilities.
It is still illegal for teachers to punish children by hurting them.
Prisons
The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is taking the government to court because it has refused to tell children and young people in prisons who have been “restrained” about their rights. Staff in prisons “restrain” children and young people in ways that are painful and can injure them. Children and young people have a right to know about their rights and what they can do if their rights are not being respected.
Around the world
South Sudan, which became a country in July this year, is the 30th country in the world to make it illegal for anyone to hit or hurt children. Children also have the same protection from violence as adults in Kenya, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Venezuela, New Zealand, Israel and 23 countries in Europe. And around the world, children like you are taking action for their right to protection from violence! Find out more here.
See our newsletter for adults for more details on any of this news.
And check out our videos made by a young supporter here!
NOTE: Facebook asks that under 13s do not attempt to use the site, and recommends that 13-18 year olds ask their parents or carers for permission. If you are under 13, please do not use Facebook to support us. Join us here instead!