It has been estimated that every year 275 million children see acts of abuse or cruelty at home. "These figures cannot tell us exactly how many children are beaten, for instance by their parents, in Italy explains the international organisation Save the Children -. However, they show a worryingly widespread use of abuse and physical punishments at home". The express ban on physical punishments in every area, including at home, is only in force in 23 countries of the world. In Europe, the use of physical punishments on children, even at home, is banned in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Greece and since 2007 also in the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. In Italy, physical punishments at home are not expressly forbidden by the law. "The purpose of this express ban concludes Save the Children is above all to send a clear message to the families and all of society, so that it will be clear that it not acceptable to beat a child, and that parents have other systems to raise their children other than violence". Info: www.savethechildren.it
