I found a very interesting article describing the consequences of the ban in Sweden.
Quote:
Evaluating the success of sweden’s corporal punishment ban
Abstract
Objective: In 1979, Sweden became the first nation to explicitly prohibit all forms of corporal punishment of children by all caretakers in an effort to: (1) alter public attitudes toward this practice; (2) increase early identification of children at risk for abuse; and (3) promote earlier and more supportive intervention to families. The aim of this study was to examine trends over recent decades in these areas to assess the degree to which these goals have been met.
Method: Primary data were collected from official Swedish sources for the following variables: public support for corporal punishment, reporting of child physical assault, child abuse mortality, prosecution rates, and intervention by the social authorities. Lines of best fit were generated and Cox and Stuart tests for trend were conducted.
Results: Public support for corporal punishment has declined, identification of children at risk has increased, child abuse mortality is rare, prosecution rates have remained steady, and social service intervention has become increasingly supportive and preventive.
Conclusions: The Swedish ban has been highly successful in accomplishing its goals.
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Read the whole thing here if you want ->
link to article.
Other than that,
this article from a study done in New Zealand confirms that severe corporal punishment increases risk for juvenile offenses, substance abuse, mental health problems, suicide etc. However, since it deals with harsh punishment, probably harsher than the average, it's not that surprising and maybe not completely relevant. However, a ban on corporal punishment could help these victims too, so it is somewhat relevant even if they are a minority.
This article describes a link between physical punishment events in childhood and marital violence and aggression later in life. It suggests that elimination of corporal punishment can reduce some of the psychological and social processes that increase likelyhood of violence against spouses and possibly other forms of violence.