{"id":13744,"date":"2019-07-03T14:22:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T13:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/?p=13744"},"modified":"2019-08-23T15:47:04","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T14:47:04","slug":"france-prohibits-all-corporal-punishment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endcorporalpunishment.org\/france-prohibits-all-corporal-punishment\/","title":{"rendered":"France prohibits all corporal punishment of children"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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En francais ci-dessous<\/em><\/span><\/p>

Updated 23 August 2019<\/em><\/span><\/p>

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On 2 July 2019, the French Senate adopted unanimously and without amendments the Bill which had been introduced by MP Maud Petit in October 2018 and adopted by the National Assembly in November 2018. Article 1 of the Law on the prohibition of ordinary educational violence (violences \u00e9ducatives ordinaires <\/em>or VEO<\/em>, which is the French term for corporal punishment) amends article 371-1 of the Civil Code to state (unofficial translation, addition underlined):<\/span><\/p>

Parental authority is a cluster of rights and duties whose finality is the interest of the child. <\/em><\/span><\/p>

It is vested in the father and mother until the majority or emancipation of the child in order to protect him in his security, health and morality, to ensure his education and allow his development, with all due respect owed to his person. <\/em><\/span><\/p>

Parental authority is exercised without any physical or psychological violence.<\/u><\/em><\/span><\/p>

The parents shall make a child a party to decisions that concern him, according to his age and degree of maturity.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>

The Law also makes provision for training for day care providers (assistant<\/em>\u00b7e<\/em>\u00b7s maternel<\/em>\u00b7le<\/em>\u00b7s<\/em>) on the prevention of corporal punishment (article 2) and puts an obligation on the French Government to produce a report on the national prevalence and attitudes towards corporal punishment in order to evaluate the means necessary to strengthen awareness-raising campaigns, parenting support and training of professionals (article 3). The Global Initiative welcomes this obligation to plan for the implementation of the ban and the Government\u2019s stated commitment to include this issue in the national strategy on child protection, to be published later this summer.<\/span><\/p>

The Law will now be sent to the President for ratification, which must be completed within 15 days. It must be noted that it could still be referred to the Constitutional Council to check compliance with the Constitution within this 15-day period, by the President, the Prime Minister, the President of either house of Parliament or by a group of 60 MPs or 60 Senators. More information on the Law can be found below.<\/span><\/p>

This reform makes France the 56th<\/sup> state worldwide to prohibit all corporal punishment of children, following the recent prohibition achieved in Kosovo last week. Prior to reform, corporal punishment was not fully prohibited in the home, alternative care and day care settings. The Global Initiative welcomes this important development and extends our sincerest thanks and congratulations to all those who have been working tireless for several years towards this achievement. With this reform, there are now only 5 European Union member states which are yet to prohibit all corporal punishment of children: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.<\/span><\/p>

On the year of the 30th<\/sup> anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we call on all states to follow in the footsteps of France and Kosovo and act now to realise children\u2019s right to protection from all forms of violence.<\/span><\/p>

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Useful links<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>