What about the children?

This country gets so upset about the rate of Child Abuse, the lack of resources to address this problem and why nothing is being done to address this problem in general. Yet when child-focused organisations and those willing to speak on behalf of the child, try to highlight areas in our society such as Section 59 of the Crimes Act, which can in some cases lead to the escalation of child abuse, society strikes them down and accuses them of removing their parental rights and authority over their children. These organisations tend to be non government organisations and have extremely limited funding. They have been showing the public and those misinformed, where to find help and programs to discipline children without using smacking, and have been putting pressure on the Police and CYF to answer the public’s fear about being prosecuted, and yet when the Police answer, the public are still not happy with the answer. Isn’t it a parent’s responsibility to put the child’s rights and life at the top of their priority list? I hear how parents can’t stand to watch their children experience pain or be hurt, for example if the child is being bullied at school or has fallen off their bike, yet parents are comfortable and happy to administer a short smack to their child to show them that this kind of pain is o.k. because it means “I love you and you need this to protect you in the future.” Why are the parents not speaking on behalf of their children on this issue? Why are they only concentrating on what is going to happen to them, not their child?