MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - New Zealanders began voting on Friday in a postal referendum on whether parents should have the right to physically discipline their children.
The anti-smacking law was passed in 2007 and has remained a source of controversy. The referendum, which runs until August 21, asks the question "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"
It was a citizen's initiative, requiring the support of 10% of the electorate, and the result will not be binding on the government.
Kiwi Party leader Larry Baldock, who led the fight for the referendum, said one problem is that the law doesn't differentiate between abuse and a light smack.
Prime Minister John Key said the wording of the referendum was "ambiguous," adding that the government believed the law was working well.
Parents are divided between those who believe that physical punishment is a private matter that should not involve politicians and that the law criminalizes parents, and those who think that it gives children the same rights as adults and prevents child abuse.
The Yes Vote website said "positive, non-violent, parenting is more effective than corporal punishment, as well as supporting better long-term outcomes for children and for society." The website also argued that the law had not led to the "mass criminalization of good parents."
New Zealand's child helpline, 0800WHATSUP, carried out a telephone survey of children and young people, with a small majority in favor of the tenets of the law. As part of the survey, the organization published anonymous comments from some of the respondents, which reflected the divide among children and parents.
An 11-year-old girl said parents should not be allowed to hit their children and should be taken to court and jail if needed.
"Parents shouldn't be let off... they should be charged, because it's assault," an 11-year-old boy said.
A 9-year-old girl said parents should not be sent to jail for smacking. "I don't think that if a parent smacks their child, they should go jail. I wouldn't want my mum to go to jail. But maybe they could get a warning. I do think that if a parent abuses their child, they should go to jail," she said.
