Northern Ireland Humanists has joined 250 organisations and professionals calling on Stormont to support an amendment to the Justice Bill that would give children the same legal protection from physical assault as adults and remove the legal defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ for parents or carers. The ‘smacking ban’ amendment, tabled by Alliance MLA Michelle Guy, would remove the existing defence and bring Northern Ireland into line with Scotland, Wales, Jersey, the Republic of Ireland, and around 70 countries worldwide, where children already have equal protection under assault laws. New NSPCC-commissioned polling suggests that public opinion in Northern Ireland strongly favours reform. The poll shows that: 65% of adults support changing the law so children have the same protection from physical assault as adults, rising to 67% among parents, guardians, and carers of children under 18. Only 12% of adults, and just 8% of parents and carers, said smacking or hitting a child was acceptable. Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator commented: ‘Children deserve the same basic protection from violence as everyone else. The current law …