Dad jailed for slapping son who refused to read

The 50-year-old, from the city of Arezzo in central Italy, also has to pay compensation to the child’s mother, who is now his ex-wife.

The incident dates back to 2009, when the child was at home with his father and refused to practice his reading, according to reports in Il Messagero and Articolo Tre.

The father then slapped the boy across the face, leaving a mark. His mother reported the incident. The couple divorced two years later.

A study by Save the Children found that 22 percent of Italian parents with children between the ages of three and 16 resort to slapping “a few times a month”, with five percent slapping their children everyday. In general, parents see slapping as “educational”.  Meanwhile, the remaining 83 percent prefer to talk and listen to their children instead of using physical punishment. 

Pope Francis in June urged parents not to slap children. Italy is one of 23 EU countries that has banned all violence in child-rearing.

Earlier this month, a man in France was fined €500 for slapping his son after the youngster showed him "disrespect". However, there is still no law banning corporal punishment in France.

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