We have come a very long way indeed from the days when spanking and belting children was common and accepted.
It's not just that children don't especially like being hit, researchers have also documented a number of long-term negative effects on children who grow up in a household where people hit each other.
Brian Martin, himself an abuse survivor, lays out the findings in his book
It's now available in paperback, and the author is available to share his story with The Exchange.