Family First say assault is not a violent crime.
July 11th, 2009 by Brad HeapThe Herald reports on the latest mad ravings from Family Violence First:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10583860
Lobby group blasts law
The head of a family lobby group says innocent parents are being victimised for the sake of a stupid law.
So a law that protects children from violence is stupid? Now that is stupid.
It follows the latest police report showing minor assaults on children went up from 32 a month to 45, after the anti-smacking law came into effect.
Did the number of assaults really go up, or did the number of reports of assaults increase?
Family First Director Bob McCoskrie says non-abusive parents are being investigated and given warnings with less than 10 per cent prosecuted, which he says is a waste of police time and resources. He says with such a small number of prosecutions it is clear the law is in the wrong and does not stand for anything.
Isn’t the fact that people are being warned rather than prosecuted proof that the law is working? Does McCoskrie want more parents prosecuted? Wouldn’t that cost more time and resources? Isn’t the fact that people are being warned proof that it does stand for something and the changes the National party made to the law to get it passed show that is working as it was designed to?
Mr McCoskrie says the country is struggling with drugs, boy-racers and violent crimes yet police continue to channel their energy into stupid laws such as this one. He says we need to address the real problems which cause child abuse and not focus on a parent giving their child an innocent smack. Mr McCoskrie says proof that the law is not working is that the number of deaths related to child abuse have not gone down.
When did assault stop being a violent crime? And since when was assault not a form of child abuse? And a law does not stop deaths occurring, people stop deaths occurring. The law just removes the excuse of smacking in the case of serious assault cases, it does not stop the parents ability to be parents.
Even Sue Bradford admitted the law was never there to solve child abuse which Mr McCoskrie says is further proof the law is a complete and utter waste of time.
Yes, and no law can solve child abuse, solving child abuse starts and ends with the parents not with the government.
Mr McCoskrie says to tackle the issue of child abuse, the real cause of family violence needs to be addressed.
And if assault isn’t child abuse then what is?
VOTE YES in the upcoming referrendumb.
