Amazon Petition - Five Reasons to Sign

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CAMPAIGN HAS NOW BEEN HANDED OVER TO THE U.S ALLIANCE TO END THE HITTING OF CHILDREN



Signatures have soared to approaching TEN THOUSAND on my petition to ask Amazon not to stock parenting manuals which advise hitting children, following exposure in the New York Times, and subsequently Yahoo News, the Huffington Post, and many many more. You only have to google 'To Train up a Child' to see the extent of the commentary; it seems like the whole world is talking about this book and the wider issue of the corporal punishment of children.

And yet book-selling giant Amazon remain silent. I need your help to increase the pressure on them by keeping the signatures rising, along with this wonderful global momentum for positive change.

Please share this post as widely as you are able, or simply the link to the petition.

Amazon Petition - Five Reasons to Sign

1. Amazon say that they do not carry 'offensive' material, and yet the content of these books, which advocate the use of a rod on small children and babies under one, IS offensive.
You can read extracts from To Train Up A Child here, and also on my original blog post. Here are some short examples:

"If he continues to show defiance by jerking around and defending himself, or by expressing anger, wait a moment, lecture again, and again spank him until it’s obvious he’s totally broken."

"Switch him 8-10 times on his bare legs or bottom. While waiting for the pain to subside, speak calm words of rebuke. If his crying turns to a true, wounded, submissive whimper, you have conquered; he has submitted his will. If his crying is still defiant, protesting, and other than a response to pain, spank him again. If this is the first time he’s come up against someone tougher than he is, it may take awhile…if you stop before he is voluntarily submissive, you have confirmed to him the value and effectiveness of a screaming protest!"

"If you have to sit on him to spank him, then do not hesitate. And hold him there until he has surrendered. Prove that you are bigger, tougher, more patiently enduring, and are unmoved by his wailing. Defeat him totally…A general rule is to continue the disciplinary action until the child has surrendered."

This is emotional and physical abuse of a child. If you find this offensive, please sign.

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2. The deaths of three children have been linked to one of these books. These cases are terrible, and no child should ever suffer in this way. And let's also remember those children who have not died, and whose lives are not in danger, but who have been or are being swatted with rods on a regular basis by those people whose love and approval they most crave. They may not be neglected, they may be well dressed, clean, and physically healthy. But they are suffering a childhood spent in fear, and the damaging consequences will affect them for the rest of their lives.  Some of them have been shared their stories with me since I began this campaign, and even as adults, they live with the pain of this abuse every day.

If you would like to help prevent more children from suffering in this way, please sign.

3. This Petition is about child protection, not religion, or the Bible.
This might sound naive of me, as of course I know that these books are part of a religious movement and way of life. I know that they use bible verses to justify their methods. But the bottom line is this - child abuse is child abuse. We need to send a clear message that the world does not approve of this way of treating children, regardless of the religious or cultural beliefs that underpin it.
If you wish to send a message to the authors of these books and those who promote or follow their methods that you do not consider them to be justified under any circumstances, please sign.

4. The petition is not calling to 'ban books'.
It is simply to ask Amazon to cease to stock parenting manuals which advise the physical abuse of children. Amazon themselves draw lines - they have a 'content policy' not to carry 'offensive' material. The petition asks Amazon to draw the line here. This will not stop such books from being published or available. However, it will draw attention to these books and their content, raise awareness of this extremely important issue, and help to protect children from harm. If you have concerns about censorship, I have explored the issue further here.

If you wish to bring these books under an international spotlight, please sign.

5. Hitting Children is a Human Rights Issue

Regardless of where you live in the world, and what your spiritual beliefs, it is wrong to hit a child. This view is backed by the NSPCC, Save the Children, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and UNESCO, to name just a few. Research has shown that smacking a child does not improve children's behaviour: rather it can lead to more anti-social behaviour, more hitting of peers and siblings, and more hitting of spouses as adults. Smacking can also be damaging to children's psychological well-being, and children who are spanked exhibit more socio-emotional problems. Overall most experts and leading children's advocates agree that children should be afforded the same protection from physical assault as adults by law.
If you wish to draw attention to the human rights of children, please sign.

Thank you for taking time to read, sign, and share the link. Together we can make a difference.

You can follow the campaign on facebook and keep up with news and views by clicking here.
Or on twitter @amazonpetition
Please also email me if you have any questions or wish to get involved in any other way.

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