Bans are a necessary part of life. We may not like them, but when something is banned, we usually understand why. For instance, we all generally agree that it makes sense to ban drinking while driving—it makes us safer and requires very little sacrifice.

There are some people, however, who are so bothered by certain bans that they use their creative craziness to flip a figurative middle finger at it.

Creative rebels—where others see a stop sign, they see a green light to get crafty.

10 Common Things That Were Once Banned

7 Friends Build An Island To Avoid Booze Ban

Coromandel is part of the Thames-Coromandel district located on New Zealand’s North Island. It is known for its beaches, forests and chill vibe. 30,000 people call Coromandel their home.

Back in the final days of 2017, that chill vibe took a hit when public drinking was banned over the New Year period. Those defying the ban faced a fine of $180 US or arrest.

So, what is a group of friends, intent on boozing it up on New Year’s Eve, to do? Build an island. Of course! Wait, what?

The group of seriously determined drinkers got to work in low tide in the Tairua estuary—packing sand high enough to form a sort of island once high tide came in. Then they installed a picnic table and an ice box. Sure enough, when the tide came in, they made their way to their island and counted down the hours to 2018 with plenty of wobbly pops to keep them company.

They were allowed to do this, they claimed, because they were in international waters.

Naturally, when the police found out about all this nonsense it was handcuffs and jail for the whole gang of ban breakers.

“That’s creative thinking—if i had known [about it] I probably would have joined them.”

Those words belong to local police commander Inspector John Kelly.

That’s right, New Zealand cops have a sense of humor. Not only that, but Sandra Goudie, Mayor of Thames-Coromandel, has one, too. She used the sandy stunt as an example of, “…the inventive nature of the people [of Thames-Coromandel].”^[1]

6 Music Website Uses Lego To Get Around Photo Ban

Some big bands ban local music photographers from taking photos of them when they come to play in their city. They do this by not issuing a photo pass.

On one such occasion, music site GoldenPlec wanted to send a photographer to a concert being put on by The Killers. The Killers, nixed that request—which, in their defense is consistent with their chosen band name.

Instead of throwing a pity party for themselves, GoldenPlec took those lemons and made some lemonade. They got creative and made LEGO representations of the guys in The Killers and photographed them. Surprisingly, their review of the show was largely positive.

Photographer Debbie Hickey built the LEGO likenesses of the band and shot the pics. She writes,

“The reason for this was because the band have a strict no photographers rule…As they were one of my favourite bands I hoped to shoot, I was left a felling a little deflated. Their o2 gig in Dublin this weekend was no different. Photographers be gone! No Photopass? No problem! If I can’t shoot them, I’ll build them, Never let it be said that GoldenPlec doesn’t get the shot.”

Though she had a little trouble finding all the famed plastic blocks she needed to get the job done right, it took her just 30 minutes to build and take the pics.^[2]

5 Student Heats Things Up After Backpack Ban

Back in 2018, the Spalding Grammar School in Lincolnshire, U.K. decided to ban backpacks from their hallways. They did this after a staff member and two students were hit and injured by big backpacks.

Angered by the ban, student Hannah Catterall managed to get 463 signatures on a petition calling for its removal. The School reacted by taking the petition down.

That’s when fellow student Jacob Ford joined in on the seditious fun by penning a 3,300 word letter about how the backpack ban was silly. The school ignored Ford’s letter. So, predictably, Ford decided to turn things up a notch.

One day, he showed up with his books in a cooking pot. Another day—a sandwich bag. Another day—a part of a lawn mower. Finally, Ford went full Salvador Dali and showed up with his books in a microwave oven.

The school was not impressed. Head teacher and Head microwave oven book bag hater, Steven Wilkinson, shot back in the press, saying, “We have a student who has behaved in an increasingly inappropriate way, actions the likes of which I have never witnessed, and who has been sanctioned entirely in line with the school’s policies.”

Ford’s mum, however, was in his corner all the way, “I’m proud of the fact that he felt strongly enough about it to stand up and do something about it.” She went on to say, “We all have a right to be listened to. So hats off to him.”

Thinking that her rebel rousing son no longer had a fair shot at Spalding, mum Tracy Ford transferred him to another school.^[3]

10 Most Absurd Things Banned On Politically Correct College Campuses

4 Soccer Fans Defy Rainbow Flag Ban In Russia

In 2013, Russian President—and guy who sucks at hockey though everybody pretends he doesn’t—Vladimir Putin signed a ‘gay propaganda’ law.

The piece of legislation prohibits “promotion of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.” The results have been predictably ugly with increased violence directed towards gay people as well as the shutting down of websites and support groups aimed at the vulnerable community. It also bans the rainbow flag.

But banning a flag made up of different colors was no match for a group of daring and creative Latin activists. In the run up to the 2018 World Cup, which Russia was hosting, these plucky nose thumbers for freedom walked around Russia with their own mobile makeshift rainbow flag and nobody even noticed—not even the Russian police.

That’s because each one of them decided to wear a different national soccer jersey—each one representing a different colour of the famed and banned rainbow flag. The national jerseys they wore were from Spain (red), The Netherlands (orange), Brazil (yellow), Mexico (green), Argentina (blue) and Colombia (purple).

The woman who wore the Argentina jersey, Vanesa Paola Ferrario, summed it up nicely, saying, “For me, Russia is a symbol of homophobia, with a government that allows discriminators to be protected by the law, and somewhere where people aren’t free to love.”

The clever and colorful display of defiance went viral with ‘#HiddenFlag’.

The protest was the brainchild of a digital agency called LOLA Mullenlowe and Spain’s largest gay organisation FELGTB.

LOLA’s Executive Creative Director Pancho Cassis was delighted by the campaign’s reach, saying, “Being visible is always a risk, but doing it with thousands of fans and fans of the World Cup and the press in front, is what motivated us to carry out the original protest. The #HiddenFlag gives visibility to all the people who live in Russia and face discrimination and fear on a daily basis.”^[4]

3 Iranian Female Fans Switch Sides To Overcome Ban

Back in October of 2019, after 40 years in effect, Iran finally lifted its ban on women attending sporting events.

But, back in 2014, with the ban still in effect, female volleyball fans had to get creative if they wanted a seat in a local stadium to cheer on their national team.

Outside stadiums, “morality police” would watch for women and prevent them from entering. But, the ban did not extend to women cheering for an out of country team.

So, when Brazil came to town to play Iran, at the Azadi stadium in Tehran, a clever and courageous group of Iranian women dressed in Brazillian national team jerseys. Receiving a little help from Brazillian supporters, they managed to walk right past the “morality police” and into the stadium.

In all, about a dozen women were able to sneak into the game and cheer on their boys.

With the ban now lifted, Iranian women can actually wear Iranian national team jerseys while cheering on their country’s team. Imagine that.^[5]

2 Greek Man Exploits Gap In Smoking Ban

Ten years after passing an anti-smoking law, the government of Greece decided it was time to actually enforce it.

And it seemed to be working. Government data showed that 84% of the 603 establishments checked showed only 11 violations. Smokers were slapped with $1,210.49 US in fines. Business owners were fined $42,367.32 US.

One dedicated smoker, however, found a gap in the ban—literally.

Placing his cigarette in a gap in a cafe’s front glass, so the end of the cigarette was burning outside the cafe, the man inhaled. Then he exhaled through a plastic straw he had placed just above his cigarette in the very same gap. Technically and hilariously, he was not smoking indoors.

Getting around a ban and having some fun while doing it—some people are born heroes.^[6]

1 Banned Football Fan Rises To The Occasion

Football (or soccer as Americans know it) is a big deal in Turkey. Though nothing compared to bigger football nations like Germany or Italy, in 2017-2018, Turkey’s football league boasted revenues of 731 million Euros ($791 million US).

And a fan nicknamed “Yamuk Ali,” might just be Turkey’s most football mad citizen.

Sometime back in 2018, Yamuk Ali was slapped with a year long ban from attending matches at the Denizli Ataturk Stadium in Denizli, Turkey.

But, superfan Ali was not about to let some silly year long ban keep him from cheering on his favourite team—Denizlispor. As the saying goes, “When life hands you lemons, you rent a crane.”

That’s right, Ali rented a crane and was able to get it high enough so he could peer over the wall of the stadium and watch his team play rival Gaziantepspor. Good thing, because his team thrashed them 5-0. In baseball terms, that’s like beating a team 20-0.^[7]

10 Things We Eat That Are Banned Outside The US

About The Author: Domenico De Luca has been writing for thirty years—screenplays, short stories and songs making up the vast majority of his output. He is a film buff with his very own blog called so many films, so little time. He is also a music addict and devoted lifelong fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Do you think cancel culture is a real thing? Have you gone out of your way to either protest a ban or take part in one? Sometimes it’s good to exercise your right to free speech and share your thoughts on something you think is an injustice. That could mean protesting or just no longer supporting a person or business. Whatever works for you. That said, there have also been some pretty bizarre bans over the years that seem, if not egregious, at least pretty hard to justify. 

10. A Teen Boy Was Banned From Saying the Word “Grass”

Free speech is a concept that not everyone fully understands. Spend any time in an online forum and you’ll realize some people don’t understand that free speech doesn’t mean you can’t suffer the consequences for what you say, especially in the private or business world.

Free speech means you may express yourself without censorship. But in more specific terms it usually means “from the government.” That means if you support horrible causes and your boss fires you for it, then that’s your fault for not keeping your mouth shut. But at least the government didn’t do it, because that would be wrong. And yet it happens.

In 2014, a teenager was ordered, in court, to never say the word grass again, at least in England or Wales. Go on, take a second with that one. 

The boy was accused of a laundry list of offenses which include the serial harassment of his neighbors. He accused them of being police informers, he’d curse out people using foul language, cause property damage, steal, and carry weapons such as knives and bats in an intimidating way. This went on for over two years, apparently.

The word grass apparently has an alternate meaning, which is police informant. So we have to assume the kid was yelling this at his neighbors so much that, above and beyond the intimidation, the swearing, the threats, the vandalism and so on, his use of the word “grass” was so over the top the court had to order him to stop. If he was caught saying it again, he could be arrested and sent to a facility.

9. The Stanford Marching Band Has Been Banned From Dozens of Places

You can thank the American Pie movies for changing everyone’s opinion on band kids back in the 1990s but real school bands have been stirring the pot longer than you think and being far more offensive than Alyson Hannigan ever imagined.

The Stanford marching band is the most banned marching band in sports history. That sounds both impressive and confusing and, rest assured, it’s both. The band has a long-standing tradition of playing pranks, and much worse, to where many schools have banned them from attending sporting events. Stanford is one of those schools.

The story dates back to the 1960s when a beloved band leader was fired. The students took it poorly and his replacement ended up giving control to the students themselves. Thus, as they say, the inmates got control of the asylum. Performances have focused on things like Jimmy Carter’s hemorrhoids and flying genitalia among so many other controversial ideas.

The band was booed repeatedly at the Rose Bowl for things as simple as playing kitchen sinks instead of instruments or parading a cow around for no apparent reason.  They were barred from away games for 2015-2016 thanks to violations of sexual harassment policies, drug violations, hazing and more. They’ve been banned from Notre Dame since 1930 and from Disneyland since 1972. The Governor of Oregon tried to ban them from the state once. The list just goes on and on.

8. Sesame Street Was Once Banned in Mississippi for Showing Black & White Kids Together

Sesame Street should be, arguably, one of the least controversial things ever. For decades the show has been dedicated to helping children understand letters, numbers, the concept of sharing and other basic, wholesome things. And yet that was too much for the people of Mississippi back in the year 1970, shortly after its debut.

What horrible thing could have happened on everyone’s favorite puppet-filled street that caused the State Commission for Educational Television to actually ban the program? Racial integration. 

In a 3-2 vote, the commission voted to kick the show off of TV because it showed black children and white children playing together. According to one member “the state has enough problems to face without adding to them,” whatever the hell that means in this context. The father-in-law of one of the commission members was the founder of an organization devoted to maintaining segregation in schools. 

You may be surprised to learn none of the commission members spoke on record about the ban. However, once it became a national headline, the state was embarrassed by the backlash over the choice and quickly changed their mind, suddenly finding all kinds of reasons to love the show. 

7. All Quiet on the Western Front Was Banned For Opposing Reasons

Movies and books get banned far more often than they should. This is usually because a group of random people let their own biases determine what they want other people to see and know. The attitude is much like a toddler who demands candy and refuses to acknowledge the idea that their whims are not what controls the universe.

One of the most remarkable bans ever was faced by Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. It may be the only film banned for diametrically opposed reasons in completely separate bannings. Germany banned it for being anti-Germany while Poland ended up banning it for being pro-Germany. If that doesn’t show you people read their own biases into a narrative, nothing will. 

The truth was that it’s just a staunchly anti-war film; it has nothing to do with the countries represented, but wartime audiences, and in particular governments, weren’t open to that interpretation.

6. An Episode of Peppa Pig Was Banned in Australia

If you know nothing about Australia, you know you need to be careful with the wildlife there. It seems like nearly everything in Australia will happily kill you. That may be an exaggeration, and of Australia’s 10,000 spider species, only a handful are truly dangerous with just two being deadly to adults. But kids are another matter, and some of the less venomous ones can be more dangerous to children. 

Because of the potential risk to children, Peppa Pig ended up being on the receiving end of a nationwide ban thanks to a spider-themed episode. The episode was meant to teach kids that spiders aren’t really dangerous and can’t hurt you, which is a bad message to send in a place where the opposite is true.

The show, which is British, involved the little cartoon pig befriending a spider called Mr. Skinny Legs. And in Britain the message was probably fine as Liverpool has never been a hot spot for bird-eating tarantulas and black widows. But since Australia can’t offer the same safe assurances, the episode had to go.

5. Australian Parliament Tried to Ban the Word “Mate” 

Speaking of Australia, one of the other well-known stereotypes from the land down under focuses on their charming turns of phrase. In particular, the prevalence of the word “mate” in everyday Aussie conversation. 

Back in 2005, the Australian government banned the use of the word mate in Parliament, at least by staff in the building. Even the Prime Minister thought this was a bad idea but some unnamed “senior civil servant” who was in charge of Parliamentary staff issued an order that the word be stricken from the workplace. Specifically “G’day mate,” the most Australian phrase ever, was ousted. 

The ban was apparently the result of two complaints that staff were not as polite as they could have been which seems to show the people didn’t feel “g’day mate” was a polite thing to say despite it being a literal greeting. The ban was lifted in less than a day.

4. Myanmar/Burma Banned The Simpsons Over The Colors

At this point it seems like The Simpsons has been on TV since the Dark Ages. It’s courted its fair share of controversy over the years, in particular back at the beginning when “eat my shorts” was offensive to some more sensitive types. 

The most unusual reaction to The Simpsons, which resulted in the movie being banned outright, came from Myanmar/Burma. When the movie was released in 2007, Burma was in the midst of a conflict with the National League of Democracy, whose flag was red and yellow. To avoid conflict and not be mistaken for showing support or inciting violence, the country banned The Simpsons because of their similar color palette. 

3. Dunking was Banned in College Ball for 10 Years 

College sports have a long and wild history of rules and regulations that sound a lot like the whims or organized crime bosses, but that’s neither here nor there. We’re just going to focus on how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got slam dunking banned for a decade.

The ban dated back to 1967 when Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem, was dominating the court. The man stood an impressive 7-foot-2 and could dunk like it was his job, which it sort of was. In his first game he broke the UCLA scoring record and people immediately hated him for changing the game, likely in no small part because of his race.

Dunking was a newish phenomenon, despite dating back to the 30s, and not everyone liked it, either. The feeling was that this was cheating and putting shorter or less skilled players at a disadvantage. That’s like saying if you hit a ball too far in baseball you’re ruining it for the crappy hitters, but whatever. The league banned it altogether.

The ban came on the heels of Jabbar and the UCLA Bruins dominating the league tournament. Two days after he dunked his way to the top, the move was forbidden,. 

2. Marlon Brando was Frequently Banned From Chat Rooms

Marlon Brando is still considered one of the greatest actors of all time but he was also known to be wildly eccentric, especially in his later years. Just look into the behind the scenes stories about him on the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau. 

In his later years, Brando apparently discovered online chat rooms and was a big fan. And, just like the rest of the people in the world, he flamed the hell out of strangers. This was in the infancy of the online chat phenomenon, in AOL chat rooms. He logged in anonymously and engaged strangers in conversations about politics, a mistake people still make on the internet to this very day.

When people got on his nerves, Brando would curse them out, resulting in him getting banned. Apparently this would be the culmination of hours of conversation. This was something that happened on a regular basis and there are people who can attest to meeting and befriending Brando in these rooms. 

1. The UK Banned a Man From Having Sex Because His IQ Was Too Low

How do you feel about human rights violations? This one’s a doozy and it comes out of left field. In the year 2011, a court in the UK ruled that a man could not legally have sex because his IQ was too low. The 41-year-old man wasn’t a criminal, he wasn’t being banned because he’d done terrible things. Instead, he has a learning disability, and an IQ measured at 48, which is considered quite low. 

The concern came from the man’s local council who referred to him as having a “vigorous sex drive.” His housing is provided through some sort of government program and he had a boyfriend who lived with him so they were aware he was having sex. It was ruled that he could not understand the potential consequences of his actions, in particular health risks, and so he was no longer allowed to have sex. 

In Britain, a Court of Protection may decide for people deemed to lack the intelligence to do so for themselves. This can even include forced abortions or being taken off of life support.

From prohibition to books, no matter how much we like to think we live in a free society, there is always something being banned. While many of these things don’t affect us all, many of them do. Furthermore, the whole concept of a minority (politicians) banning things for the majority is repugnant. This is a list of ten things recently banned, which led to controversy.

Food companies favor trans fats because it allows their products to stay fresh on the shelves longer and it is also made from less expensive oils keeping production costs down. The main concern with trans fats is the body is unable to break down trans fatty acids causing them to build up triggering high cholesterol and in some cases heart disease. In 2003 Denmark became the first country to ban foods containing large amounts of trans fats. Under this ban no more than two per cent of the fats and oils in any food product can contain trans fats. This effectively limits people’s trans fat intake to less than one gram per day. Switzerland followed with a similar ban in 2008.

Interesting Fact: The Center for Science in the Public Interest sued KFC over its use of trans fats in their fried foods. KFC then reviewed alternative oil options saying “there are a number of factors to consider including maintaining KFC’s unique taste and flavor of Colonel Sanders’ Original Recipe”. In 2006, KFC announced that it will replace the partially hydrogenated soybean oil it currently uses with a zero-trans-fat low linoleic soybean oil in all restaurants although its biscuits will still contain trans-fats.

In 2004 the Canadian Health Minister announced the Government’s immediate ban on baby walkers. Between 1990 and 2002, the ministry said, there were 1,935 reports of infants being injured using the walkers. It was determined that young children “do not have the necessary skills, reflexes or cognitive abilities to safely make use of the product”. The most common accident occurs when babies fall down stairs. The ban prohibits retailers from selling, advertising or importing baby walkers. Canada is the only country so far to ban Baby Walkers.

Interesting Fact: Many parents believe that baby walkers teach a child to walk faster; however, studies suggest that it is not true, and they may actually delay walking by two to three weeks.

Because the compact fluorescent (CFL) lasts five years longer and uses about 75 percent less energy it has prompted many countries to enact laws to phase out incandescent light bulbs. Australia passed a law in 2007 that will make it one of the first countries to ban the incandescent light bulbs outright in 2010. Cuba exchanged all incandescent light bulbs for CFLs, and banned the sale and import of them in 2005. The EU agreed to a phase out incandescent light bulbs by 2012. California recently passed a bill that will phase out the bulbs by 2018. New Zealand’s previous government passed legislation to ban the bulbs but the newly elected government threw the ban out due to the outcry the ban caused.

Interesting Fact: CFLs, like all fluorescent lamps, contain small amounts of mercury as vapor inside the glass tubing, averaging 4.0 mg per bulb. A broken compact fluorescent lamp will release its mercury content. This means that safe cleanup and disposing of broken compact fluorescent lamps will differ from incandescent bulbs.

Chewing gum was banned in Singapore in 1992 and was revised in 2004. Incorrect disposal of chewing gum on chairs, tables, floors and on the door sensors of the new metro system led to the ban. Regulations also did not make any provisions for personal use of quantities to be brought into Singapore. Therefore, bringing chewing gum into Singapore, even in small quantities was prohibited. In 2004 the Singapore Government recognized the proven health benefits of certain gums such as sugar-free gum that contains calcium lactate to strengthen tooth enamel. Medical gum was then allowed provided it was sold by a dentist or pharmacist who must take down the names of the buyers. Singapore is the only country with a chewing gum ban.

Interesting Fact: The Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company enlisted the help of a Washington, D.C lobbyist and the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, to get chewing gum on the agenda of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. This caused the 2004 revised ban allowing the medical improvement type gum.

In 2005 India became the first country to ban smoking and tobacco on-screen prohibiting all scenes showing the consumption of all tobacco products in movies and television programs. Whenever an actor smokes or consumes a tobacco product on screen, television channels must blur the scene. Films that already contain such scenes must run a scroll at the bottom of the screen, warning of the dangers of tobacco use.

Interesting Fact: Earlier this year the Delhi High Court overturned the Indian federal ban on performers smoking in films saying it is a reality of life and any censorship on its depiction would violate creative artists’ fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.

Somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. In 2002 Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags outright after discovering the bags blocked drains and was one of the main causes of the devastating floods of 1988 and 1998. Another problem with plastic bags is they do not biodegrade in landfills and pose a danger to many marine mammals. Thin plastic bags are now banned in South Africa and thicker ones are taxed. Similar laws exist in many other countries. Australia and the United Kingdom are also considering bans. In the United States the cities of San Francisco and Oakland have banned plastic shopping bags completely and promote reusable and compostable sacks.

Interesting Fact: According to one statistics choosing paper or plastic may just involve choosing which resource to consume. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the plastic bags used annually in the United States require about 12 million barrels of oil to produce. Paper bags require about 14 million trees. In a landfill, plastic bags take up less space than paper.

The move to ban super skinny or size-zero models came in 2006 after the death of 22-year-old model Luisel Ramos (shown on the right) who died of a heart attack moments after stepping off the catwalk. Ramos apparently was eating nothing but green leaves and diet coke for three months. Reports said she’d been told by her modeling agency that she would have a big future if she would loose a lot of weight. Stylists signed a joint declaration with the Italian government stating that, all models in shows must have a body mass index of 18 and above and must be “full bodied and healthy.” Madrid’s annual fashion show also banned models with a body mass index of less than 18 and there are calls for similar restrictions at London fashion shows.

Interesting Fact: In early 2007, Luisel’s 18-year-old sister Eliana Ramos, also a model (shown on the left) also died of an apparent heart attack believed to be related to malnutrition.

This is the most recent ban on the list and gained momentum after members of the Bolivian wing of an animal rights group went undercover. They revealed that animals in circuses are confined to cages without room for them to move around and forced to stay crammed in cages for the majority of their lives. The Bolivian Senate agreed to the ban and President Morales signed it into law in July 2009. There are similar bans on animal use in circuses in Austria, Costa Rica, Finland and Denmark where it is prohibited to use certain species of wild animals. Bolivia is the first and only country to ban both wild and domestic animals from traveling circus.

Interesting Fact: The recent attention given to animal cruelty in circuses has prompted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to release a fact sheet on how their animals are treated. You can read the fact sheet here.

Everyone is familiar with the recent smoking regulations that have affected smokers all over the world. In 2004 Ireland became the first country to prohibit smoking in all indoor workplaces including restaurants and bars. In 2008 a small mountainous kingdom between India and China called Bhutan was the first to ban smoking and tobacco sales outright. Authorities celebrated the ban by igniting a bonfire of cigarettes in the capital city and hanging banners across the main thoroughfare urging people to kick the habit. Violators in Bhutan are fined $232 (more than two months’ salary) The Ban on tobacco has caused an increase in the illegal trade of tobacco products to Bhutan. No other country so far has banned smoking and tobacco outright.

Interesting Fact: The first modern, nationwide tobacco ban was imposed by the Nazi Party. Smoking was prohibited in every German university, post office, military hospital, and Nazi Party office. The Institute for Tobacco Hazards Research was created in 1941 under orders from Adolf Hitler. Major anti-tobacco campaigns were widely broadcast by the Nazis until the end of the regime in 1945.

Sweden was the first country to ban parental spanking back in 1979. It took many years before another country would follow but now a total of 24 countries have passed similar laws. The most recent countries are Venezuela, Uruguay, Portugal, Spain and New Zealand in 2007 (though a referendum is being held to determine whether the anti-smacking bill should be repealed this year since the change of government) and Costa Rica and Republic of Moldova in 2008. There have been many studies done on the results of the Sweden spanking ban. Some studies suggest it has reduced child abuse in the country to almost zero. Other studies show Sweden with a lower rate of child deaths due to abuse than 20 out of 27 developed countries. Another recent report by Sweden suggested that the spanking ban has made little change in problematic forms of physical punishment.

Interesting Fact: In the United States (In all 50 states) it is legal for parents to spank or paddle their children. In 23 states corporal punishment is still legal in public schools. Canada bans corporal punishment for children under two and over twelve years of age, as well as the use of any objects such as a paddle.