Why we need the anti-smacking law

Stuff: Woman denies beating children

A woman used a shoe, belt, a vacuum cleaner pipe and a roll of plastic wrap to hit five children in her care, a court was told today.

Tafailagi Su'a, 30, pleaded not guilty in Auckland District Court to 13 charges of assault with a weapon and eight of assault on children.

Opening the case for the Crown, prosecutor Anna Longdill said the accused regularly assaulted five children in her care with kicks, slaps and pinches.

She also assaulted them with various weapons. All the children were under 14 when the alleged offences occurred between 2008 and 2009.

Before the anti-smacking law, these children would have been left undefended. Police would likely not have bothered to bring charges (especially in light of the acquittal of a woman who beat her child with a riding crop). But now it is clear that there is no excuse. And we are a much better country for it.