Many other countries have outlawed the corporal punishment of children, such as smacking, by parents or guardians. But in one Swiss canton, proposals to ban the practice were swiftly cut down this week.
In a vote on the matter, Canton Jura was expected to become the first Swiss canton to outlaw the practice, but ended up voting against the ban. 20 cantonal representatives voted in favour of the ban, but ultimately the 38 voters against the ban were successful.
63 countries across the globe have already banned the smacking of children as a form of discipline at home. Sweden, the first country to ban the practice, outlawed it in 1979 and it is now socially unacceptable in the country to discipline children with any sort of physical punishment.
Eventually, the cantonal government came to the conclusion that a federal decision made by the Swiss government on the matter would be best. The cantonal government added that it has neither the jurisdiction nor the ability to implement the law required.
Since the early 2000s, bans on corporal punishment at home have become more popular across the world, spreading from Europe to Latin America and Asia. Corporal punishment in schools has been outlawed even more widely, with more than 130 countries already banning such practices.