StopSpanking, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to ending corporal punishment of children. Our mission is to raise awareness of both parents and educators that spanking is violence and harms children. Spanking violates a child’s human right to be free from violence. There are strong Biblical arguments against the hitting of children. The research supports what we already know morally to be true, we should never hit children. The avalanche of research correlates spanking to a cascade of negative outcomes including increased aggression, mental illness, drug & alcohol abuse, and suicide, to name only a few. We are seeking to advance a national campaign against spanking.

As a professional community, many of us are unaware of the research and are failing to protect the public around this fundamental health concern. We know that spanking is the most prevalent risk factor for overt child abuse. Hitting children is on a continuum of violence against children, and is a gateway to criminal child abuse.