Smacking children could be made illegal in Scotland today if MSPs vote to change the law to ban their physical punishment.
The smacking ban is set to be voted on by the Scottish Parliament and would give children the same protection from violence as adults by removing the defence of justifiable assault in Scots law.
The Bill, introduced by Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie, faces its final vote on Wednesday, with the former police officer calling for cross-party support for the “vital legal protections for Scotland’s children”.
Removing a parent’s right to hit their child would bring Scotland up to international standards, Mr Finnie has argued, adding: “Physical punishment has no place in 21st century”.