The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Act 2019 was created after a campaign by charities

A new law which protects children from assault is set to come into force.

Children in Scotland will have the same protection from assault as adults when the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Act 2019 legislation comes in to force on Saturday (7 November).

NSPCC Scotland, alongside other organisations from civic society and families across Scotland, campaigned for many years to make this happen. We called for an archaic defence, which allowed adults charged with assaulting a child to claim ‘reasonable chastisement' or 'justifiable assault', to be removed from Scots law. 

Joanna Barrett, NSPCC Scotland policy and public affairs officer, said: “This new law, finally gives children in Scotland their rightful protection against assault and the same safeguards as adults.

“By making this common sense move to get rid of the outdated defence of ‘justifiable assault’, we will be joining more than 50 other countries around the world in taking measures to protect the most vulnerable members of society.

“This law sets out in clear terms that physical punishment should no longer be part of childhood in Scotland and it marks a momentous step in making it a country where children’s rights are truly recognised, respected and fulfilled.”