Nordic Committee for Human Rights Today

I found The Nordic Committee for Human Rights today. They stand for The Protection of Family Rights in the Nordic countries. Got to wonder why, don't a number of the Nordic countries have idyllic havens for their citizens? Apparently wonderful socialist paradises to live and work and raise children. Don't they have anti-smacking laws too? Why on earth would they need a committee for the protection of family rights? Well might you ask. From their About page one of their stated purposes is to:

To create public opinion in order to bring about changes in the present policies whereby residents in the Nordic countries suffer unnecessary interference in their private and family life.

In Sweden the anti-smacking law is having serious consequences:

Smack of the Nanny State

Mrs Harrold-Claesson has defended parents fined and imprisoned under that law, and acted for children denied contact with their families after being fostered.

For her the legislation is nothing short of a "national disaster" that has had devastating consequences for family life.

Mrs Harrold-Claesson, chair of the Nordic Committee of Human Rights, said:

"It has ruined families and ruined children.

"The children in Sweden are incredibly badly behaved. They have no discipline at home and no discipline in schools. I have seen a child kick his father repeatedly and all that man could say was 'you shouldn't do that'.

"I've dealt with cases where parents are so frightened of imposing any form of discipline that they have given up all responsibility; they say 'I can't stop my child running around at night, so if something happens to them it's not my fault'.

"As far as I'm concerned parents are adults, and adults decide what is a reasonable level of discipline.

"By taking away their ability to do that, you breed a new generation of wild, ill-disciplined Vikings - and that is what we have here.

"We in the Nordic Committee of Human Rights are completely against child abuse. We say this law is unnecessary because there has always been a law to punish child abuse - assault and battery. This law saying a parent should not smack their child goes beyond all rhyme and reason."

Her account is supported by Robert Larzelere, associate professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, who has studied the effectiveness of Sweden's smacking ban.

According to his analysis, the rate of child abuse has actually increased since the ban came into force.

"I don't see any evidence that the smacking ban has led to a reduction in child abuse or violence by a minor against a minor, which was the rationale behind it.

"I see people trying to make that claim, but I have not seen any results that show the ban has led to an improvement for kids. In fact, I see the opposite," he said.

Prof Larzelere said the ban was part of a trend in the Western world toward taking authority away from parents, who were increasingly treated as 'guilty until proven innocent'.

News Talk ZB interview June 15, 2005 with Ruby Harrold-Claesson