source: flickr.com

The government has approved the draft law banning any form of corporal discipline of children. This is how we will end child abuse - says the government. The ban on spanking undermines parental authority and grants unwarranted amount of power over families to the state, reply the critics.

Joanna Najfeld reports

Under the new law, any form of corporal discipline on children is illegal. Parents accused of child abuse can get eviction orders even before the investigation is completed. Forensic examination serving as evidence of abuse may be performed by a GP and does not require the prosecutor's order. Parents proven to have abused children are obliged to undergo therapy. The government-approved draft law against child corporal discipline also grants special rights to social service workers, allowing them to take the child away from the parents suspected of harming youngsters under the influence of psychoactive substances.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said these are crucial measures for the well-being of Polish families: 'This draft law, together with a series of other projects that we have pending, including a large educational campaign, will help Polish children not to be afraid of their parents, not be beaten and killed in the most drastic cases.'

The Prime Minister's concept of the Polish family as a place where children are tortured is as absurd, as it is offensive, says Inga Kałużyńska, family activist, member of a team for women's affairs at the office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment.

The new law classifies discipline as abuse, and undermines the authority of the parents, and there is a major difference between real abuse and legitimate discipline, she says: 'Are they going to handcuff moms and dads for trying to discipline their beloved children? Lawmakers should focus on protecting children from real abuse - like sexual harassment, instead of attacking loving parents who occasionally spank their children in a healthy manner. If anything, the state should support natural families develop properly, protect them from anti-family ideologies, offer tax reductions for families as is practiced in western Europe and the States, offer troubled families counseling, instead of introducing a climate of suspicion and omnipresent state control, punishing loving parents.'
 
Still, Prime Minister Donald Tusk proudly proclaimed the draft law "possibly the most important in years": 'Perhaps there will not be in the coming years a more important project from the human point of view. This law is unambiguous in saying that the use of corporal discipline against children will not be tolerated in Poland.'

Government intervention into child upbringing is not the best way to help Polish families, especially when the state is neglecting its responsibilities towards families in other crucial spheres, like economy, says Kałużyńska: 'In our country there are so many problems that are crucial for families, like education, health care, high taxes and economy in general. These should be the priorities. If the people on ministry level don't know how to help, and they can't solve family problems, they should at least try not to disturb.'

According to Interior Ministry reports, over the past year nearly 2200 minors fell victim to family conflicts. Research carried out by NGOs cooperating with the government on the project of the new law, showed that one in ten respondents declared to be or to have been a victim of repeated abuse.