• To Guatemala, the Committee expressed concern about the use of corporal punishment in care institutions and recommended that the Government expedite the adoption of the Bill No. 5184 on the Use of Corporal Punishment and Other Cruel Forms of Punishment as a Correctional or Disciplinary measure for Children and Adolescents, which would prohibit its use in all settings.
• To the Marshall Islands, the Committee highlighted corporal punishment of children as an area on which urgent measures must be taken; it recommended iexplicit prohibition in all settings and repeal of the defence for its use in the Criminal Code. The Government has previously committed to enacting prohibition, and a review their child protection legislation is due this year.
• To Palau, the Committee recommended prohibition of corporal punishment in all settings and that the Government undertake various measures to raise awareness on the issue and provide training on positive discipline.
• The Committee urged Panama to fulfil its previous UPR commitments to enact prohibition and recommended that it explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, raise awareness of its harmful effects and promote positive discipline. A comprehensive Bill on Children’s Rights is currently being drafted; it is not yet clear if corporal punishment of children will be addressed.
• To Seychelles, the Committee welcomed the recent prohibition of corporal punishment in schools, but highlighted that further urgent measures should be taken in relation to corporal punishment and recommended prohibition in all settings. During the dialogue with the Committee, the Government reiterated its commitment to prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings; it has also said discussions would take place in early 2018 between the Social Affairs department and the Attorney General’s office to take this forward.
• To the Solomon Islands, the Committee recommended prohibition in all settings and that the Government undertake awareness-raising campaigns and set up positive discipline training events.
• To Sri Lanka, the Committee requested urgent measures to be taken in relation to corporal punishment and recommended its immediate prohibition in all settings. The Government acknowledged that current legal protections against abuse were weakened by the existence of legal defences to the use of corporal punishment and reiterated its commitment to enacting prohibition, stating that the introduction of a law “to combat corporal punishment” was as a priority issue.

Spain prohibited all corporal punishment in 2007; the Committee recommended that the Government continue to raise awareness of the ban and the harmful effects of corporal punishment, and to ensure prohibition is adequately enforced and monitored.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports for Guatemala, Marshall Islands, Palau, Panama, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Spain and Sri Lanka.

For further information on the obligation to prohibit corporal punishment under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to see the Committee’s recommendations in full, see the Global Initiative’s page on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The post Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends prohibition at 77th session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• The Bahamas, Barbados, Burundi, France, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates all received recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings – their respective Governments deferred giving a response until the 38^th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2018.
• Tonga supported a recommendation to prohibit judicial corporal punishment and another to abolish the provisions which authorise corporal punishment. We are seeking to establish the Government’s intentions in supporting these recommendations.
• Botswana ‘noted’ (did not support) several recommendations to prohibit in all settings. In Botswana, corporal punishment of children is still lawful in every setting of children’s lives, including as a sentence for a crime.
• Montenegro, which enacted a full legal prohibition in 2016, supported a recommendation to raise awareness of the ban.

Mali did not receive a recommendation to prohibit corporal punishment, despite the legality of its use in the home. Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Romania have prohibited corporal punishment in all settings; they did not receive recommendations on the issue.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports: Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Burundi, France, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mali, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Tonga and the United Arab Emirates.

The post States receive recommendations to prohibit at UPR’s 29th session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

The post CEDAW recommends prohibition at 68th session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

The post Human Rights Committee issues recommendations on corporal punishment at latest session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• India supported recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment of children in all settings, including the home, reaffirming its commitment to prohibition. The Netherlands accepted similar recommendations in relation to its Caribbean territories.
• Morocco supported recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, adding that they were considered as fully implemented. In Moroccan legislation, corporal punishment of children is only prohibited in the penal system.
• A recommendation to “explicitly prohibit corporal punishment of children in all settings” was only partially supported by Algeria, which ‘noted’ the part stating “in all settings”. We are seeking to establish whether the Government is still committed to prohibition in all settings, including the home.
• South Africa ‘noted’ recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment in the home, stating that ‘noted’ recommendations were “those which South Africa is in the process of considering and cannot commit to at this stage”. A recent judicial decisionfound the common law defence of “reasonable or moderate chastisement” to be unconstitutional – we are awaiting the Government’s reaction to the High Court ruling and seeking to establish whether the Government is still committed to prohibition in all settings, including the home.
• The United Kingdom had received seven recommendations on the prohibition of corporal punishment of children: it ‘noted’ them all, adding that “parents should not be criminalised for giving a child a mild smack in order to control their behaviour”.
• Bahrain’s response to a recommendation to prohibit in all settings is available in Arabic only – we are in the process of obtaining a translation.
• No recommendation specifically on corporal punishment was extended to the Philippines, which supported a general recommendation on the eradication of violence against children.
• Contrary to its obligations, Poland is yet to clearly respond to recommendations extended in May 2017. No recommendations on corporal punishment had been received.
• Both Brazil and Finland supported recommendations to implement their existing bans.

Tunisia, which prohibited all corporal punishment in 2010, was also examined but did not receive recommendations on corporal punishment. Ecuador and Indonesia had immediately supported recommendations to prohibit extended in May 2017.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports: Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Ecuador, Finland, India, Indonesia, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom.

The post States respond to UPR recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• To Antigua and Barbuda, the Committee recommended that the state end all forms of corporal punishment in all settings, repeal the provisions authorising corporal punishment in the Education Act and undertake awareness-raising campaigns and training.
• In its concluding observations on Bhutan’s third/fifth report, the Committee recommended the review of all domestic legislation to fully prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, including the home and monasteries. Article 109 of the Penal Code 2004, which provides a legal justification to the use of corporal punishment, was particularly highlighted.
• The Committee expressed concern at the prevalence of corporal punishment in families and schools in Cameroon, and urged the state party to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in all settings and introduce public education and awareness-raising programmes on the harmful effects of corporal punishment and the benefits of positive discipline.
• Similarly, the Committee issued a recommendation to Lebanon to amend its legislation to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in all settings and to conduct awareness-raising programmes.
• The Committee called for urgent measures to be taken in relation to corporal punishment in Qatar, expressing concern at the widespread use and legality of corporal punishment, including as a sentence for a crime. It recommended that corporal punishment is prohibited in all settings in the Children’s Bill currently being considered.

To Romania and Mongolia, where corporal punishment is already prohibited, the Committee issued recommendations on the effective implementation of the ban, including through public education and awareness-raising campaigns and training of parents and teachers, and thorough monitoring of the implementation.

The post Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment at 75th session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• Afghanistan – the Committee expressed concern at the absence of a clear legal ban of judicial corporal punishment and at its use by armed groups present in the country. It recommended that Afghanistan clearly prohibit in legislation all forms of corporal punishment, including as a sanction for a crime of “honour”.
• Bahrain – the Committee recommended that the Government enact legislation explicitly prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings.
• Pakistan – the Committee expressed concern at the legality of judicial corporal punishment and urged Pakistan to “take the necessary legislative measures to eradicate and explicitly prohibit all forms of corporal punishment in all settings”.
• Republic of Korea – the Committee stated its concern at the legality of corporal punishment of children in homes, in care settings and in schools, outside of Seoul. It recommended that the Government enact legislation clearly prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings and in all parts of the country.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports for Afghanistan, Bahrain, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea.

For further information on the obligation to prohibit corporal punishment under the Convention Against Torture and to see the Committee’s recommendations in full, see the Global Initiative’s page on the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The post The Committee Against Torture recommends prohibition to further states at its latest session first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• In its concluding observations on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s initial report, the Committee expressed concern that corporal punishment of children was not explicitly prohibited in the home and in alternative and day care settings. The Committee recommended that corporal punishment is explicitly and universally prohibited “with particular attention for children with disabilities living in institutions”. Bosnia and Herzegovina is committed to prohibition and legislation is currently being drafted to explicitly prohibit all corporal punishment of children.
• To Iran, the Committee stated its concern over the lack of complaint mechanisms available to persons with disabilities in cases of torture and cruel treatment, particularly in residential institutions or psychiatric hospitals. It issued a recommendation to enact legislation to prohibit all corporal punishment of children with disabilities and to ensure their protection from its practice.
• The Committee also stated its concern to Jordan about the provisions within the Jordanian Criminal Code which provide a legal defence to the use of violence and physical punishment against children with disabilities. The Committee recommended that these provisions are repealed from the Criminal Code in order to fully prohibit corporal punishment.

Although the Committee did not specifically refer to corporal punishment in its review of Armenia, it expressed concern at the violence and abuse children with disabilities suffer from at home and in institutional settings and recommended that the Government “prohibit and criminalize all forms of violence and abuse against children with disabilities in all settings, including home and residential institutions”. Since 2013 Armenia has been going through a legal reform process to amend the Family Code which would include prohibition of all corporal punishment – we can only hope that this will move the legislative process further forward.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports for Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran and Jordan.

For further information on the obligation to prohibit corporal punishment under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to see the Committee’s recommendations in full, see the Global Initiative’s page on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The post Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommends prohibition of corporal punishment first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• Lithuania accepted recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment; legislation to achieve this was passed weeks earlier, in February 2017.
• Timor-Leste accepted a recommendation to prohibit all corporal punishment and reaffirmed its commitment to full prohibition.
• Venezuela, having achieved full prohibition in 2007, “did not support” a recommendation to prohibit all corporal punishment, which the Government said was “biased, confused, politically malicious, elaborated on false bases and contrary to the spirit of cooperation and respect that should prevail in the UPR”.
• Zimbabwe had received a recommendation to abolish corporal punishment in all settings. The Government was “unable to support the part of the recommendation concerning corporal punishment”, explaining that the issue of corporal punishment was still pending before the Constitutional Court. The High Court has ruled in 2014 and 2017 decisions that corporal punishment was unconstitutional, but this decision of unconstitutionality needs to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court’s ruling on the 2014 decision has been pending since 2015 and the recent decision has not yet been referred to the Constitutional Court.
• No recommendations specifically on corporal punishment were issued to Haiti, the Syrian Arab Republic or Uganda. Haiti and Uganda accepted recommendations to strengthen the protection of children’s rights. The Syrian Arab Republic’s response to recommendations is not yet available in English.

Iceland, the Republic of Moldova, South Sudan and Togo were also reviewed during the 26th session; all have already achieved prohibition of all corporal punishment of children.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports: Haiti, Iceland, Republic of Moldova, Lithuania, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

The post States respond to UPR recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.

• Suriname and Thailand supported recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings. Suriname also accepted a recommendation to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of corporal punishment.
• Tajikistan supported a recommendation to enforce prohibition in all settings, including in the domestic sphere and in care settings.
• Swaziland accepted in part a recommendation to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, but the Government stated “Swaziland is not yet ready to accept prohibiting corporal punishment of children in the home.”
• Recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment were “noted” by Papua New Guinea, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa and Sudan. The Government of Samoa referred to a Bill which “seeks to prohibit corporal punishment, which is partly prohibited in schools and day care settings. This work is ongoing for Samoa in order to achieve prohibition in all settings, school, alternative care and at home…”.
• Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago did not support – “noted” –recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment of children. The Government of Antigua and Barbuda stated during the review that corporal punishment of children is an “issue that appeared in laws and for which time would be required in order to change the views of Antiguans.” The Government of Trinidad and Tobago stated “it has traditionally been accepted as a legitimate form of discipline for youngsters in the Caribbean and mainly inherited as a result of traditional lifestyles from the vast diaspora which constitutes the social and historical composition of most Caribbean countries.”
• United Republic of Tanzania rejected a recommendation to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment. The Government stated “a study by the Law Reform Commission revealed that the majority of citizens are in favour of corporal punishment. This form of punishment plays a significant deterrent role in the society.”

Greece, Hungary and Ireland were also reviewed in the 25th session; all three states have already achieved prohibition of all corporal punishment of children. Hungary and Ireland accepted recommendations to end corporal punishment; no recommendation on corporal punishment was made to Greece.

For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports: Antigua and Barbuda, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, UR Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago

The post States receive recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment at the UPR first appeared on End Corporal Punishment of Children.