Coalition expresses ‘deep disappointment’ as Equal Protection amendment excluded from Consideration Stage of the Justice Bill.

The Equal Protection Working Group, a coalition of children’s rights organisations, health professional bodies, charities, and community and voluntary sector groups, has today expressed profound disappointment that the equal protection amendment will not be debated as part of the Consideration Stage of the Justice Bill.

The amendment, tabled by Michelle Guy MLA, sought to address a long-standing loophole by removing the criminal defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ of a child from the law in Northern Ireland. This reform would have brought Northern Ireland into line with international human rights standards and ensured that children have the exact same legal protection from physical assault as adults.

It is unclear to the Equal Protection Working Group why this amendment was not selected. In our view, the amendment fell within the scope of the Bill, and it would have allowed elected representatives the opportunity to consider and debate this important issue.

The Working Group has two clear calls: legal reform to ensure that children have equal protection from all forms of violence, including physical punishment; and improved support for parents and families, including through effective positive parenting support.

We welcome the growing engagement and support from MLAs on the need for change. There is clear and consistent support from the public for reform, and recent polling shows that 70% of people in Northern Ireland want to see legislative change accompanied by more support for parents.

With the current legislative window drawing to a close, this is a major missed opportunity to provide greater protection for children in Northern Ireland, and reforming this outdated and harmful legal loophole must be one of the top priorities for an incoming Executive and Assembly.

We must ensure that our children have equal protection from physical violence in the same way that adults do.

Read more about equal protection.