Outlaw corporal abuse of children in England

Every year, children in England are harmed by the negative and cruel effects of corporal punishment, yet it’s still legally allowable to abuse children through corporal punishment in England.
An equivalent assault on an adult falls under the legal definition of actual bodily harm and carries a custodial sentence. Why is this not so, then, when children should be even more protects, by right? When corporal punishment is outlawed for care workers and for organisations which deal with children, why is it lawful for parents to practice this sanctioned abuse of their children at home, when no one is looking and when the child is most vulnerable to both the punishment and the coercion which goes with it?
Corporal punishment, like all forms of abuse, has been positively linked to low IQ, low self esteem, low performance at school and untold physical and emotional harm. So much so, that England remains the only mainland administration to insist on not legislating against it, when it’s now outlawed in Scotland and Wales.
It’s time to stand up for children’s welfare. It’s time for this abuse to STOP. FULL STOP.