Only parents or people who are in the place of a parent for example a step-parent can be excused if they use reasonable force on a child for discipline.
Is it illegal to hit a child in canada. This fact sheet provides a summary of the case. So it isnt technically illegal to hit your kid in any state. Hitting your children is a sensitive moral topic for many parents but it is worth discussing whether it is even legal.
The Attorney General of Canada On January 30 2004 the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in the case of Canadian Foundation for Children Youth and the Law v. The court said it was unacceptable to hit a child with an object like a belt or paddle. Pretty soon you will be giving yourself permission to hit your child for even the slightest infraction because you will have become addicted to that rush of relief you get from hitting someone.
Every schoolteacher parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child as the case may be who is under his care if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances. One of the strongest effects on children is increasing aggression because being hit is an example of using aggression with other people so children learn that Gershoff said. The Court defined reasonable as force that would have a transitory and trifling impact on the child.
Spanking is a form of physical punishment that some parents use on children and depending on the circumstances could be illegal. It might sound hard to believe but the United States does not currently have federal laws prohibiting the use of corporal punishment. This defence is provided for in Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada which reads.
The Supreme Court of Canada studied this law. Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada allows the use of some physical force if the purpose is for disciplining a child under the age of 18. Use of any implement other than a bare hand is illegal and hitting a child in anger or in retaliation for something a child did is not considered reasonable and is against the law.
The law in Canada recognizes some situations exist where a parent or legal guardian may use reasonable force on a child. Or hit with a shoemay no longer be legal means of disciplining children in your state. Blows and slaps to the childs head would also be unacceptable.