Sir, - This week's ruling by the European Court that the beating of children by parents is illegal will no doubt lead to heated discussions and exchanges among people across Ireland.
This debate will be dominated by adults. Children will not be heard; they do not have a voice, they do not have power - and power is, after all, central to this issue. During the forthcoming discussions and possible consultation process, adults will be subjective in their views and these will be based on their own experiences as children or as parents.
In my view there is no room for subjectivity when contributing to a discussion which re-examines legislation on issues such as this. Instead, each of us, as members of this society, have a duty to consider the following question: How does our society best protect every child? Children, whether we like it or not, are at the mercy of the adults in their lives. We do not, cannot, know what goes on behind closed doors. We therefore must look beyond our own experiences and subscribe to creating a situation which ensures that all children, in all situations, are safe and where each of us carries some responsibility when any child is hurt.
New legislation, if required, must reflect such a society. It must also take account of the fact that parenting is impossible to get right and that all parents need support to do their impossible job. As the famous saying goes: "It takes a village to rear a child." -Yours, etc., Miriam Uhlemann,
Rosehill Court, Kilkenny.