French parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill titled "corporal punishment or humiliation" that would ban parents from smacking their children. Now its up to the French Senate to give a final approval. Earlier attempts to outlaw smacking at home have failed, though in schools across France the practice has long been banned. Pro-ban campaigners claim that about 85 percent of parents still resort to corporal punishment. The initiator of the law, MP Maud Petit, told press that the bill's main goal was educational; to encourage society to change its views.