20/10/2017

'Children Should Not Be The Latest Victims Of Daft Political Games' - Alliance

Children should not be the latest victims of daft political games, Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw has said.

She made the statement after the announcement that the defence of "justifiable assault" will be removed from Scottish law, which will protect children from physical abuse.

Ms Bradshaw also demanded the immediate restoration of the institutions so that a Minister can make the same move in Northern Ireland.

She said: "The Alliance Party passed a formal policy some weeks ago to remove protections in law, over 150 years old, which effectively allow the assault of children. This is entirely in line with advice from the Children's Commission.

"As with many things, it seems plain that there is an Assembly majority for this move to stop the physical punishment of children and offer them the exact same defence against assault in law as adults.

"Yet, as with many things, we cannot get on and deliver this change because we have no Ministers in place. The two big parties know the deal they have to do."

(CD/LM)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

09 September 2021
'Cynical Party Political Posturing Is Failing Our People' - Alliance
Alliance leader Naomi Long has said that "cynical party political posturing is failing our people" and that the emphasis must be on pragmatic solutions to concerns of the Protocol, rather than escalating political instability.
12 January 2011
Irish Road Signs Point To Stormont Division
NI politicians are taking divergent routes on a proposal to splash-out on the provision of bilingual road signs.
05 November 2010
Political Unease Prompts Defection
It's all change as a local unionist politician leaves behind her previous allegiances to take up new challenges and a republican MLA has quit frontline activity altogether. Paula Bradshaw, (pictured here) an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) election candidate, has quit and joined the Alliance Party.
19 February 2019
Public Consultation Launched On Child Sexual Exploitation Law
The Department of Justice has launched an eight week consultation period on proposed measures to strengthen the law in order to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.
06 September 2006
NICCY challenges law to end physical assault of children
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People has this week applied for a Judicial Review on a proposed new legislation about the physical punishment of children - Article 2 of the Law Reform Order 2006.