Ending violent punishment – the most common form of violence against children – is fundamental to creating the “world free of fear and violence … of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination” envisaged by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In adopting the 2030 Agenda, states have committed to work to “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” (target 16.2). The three indicators which will be used to monitor progress towards this target, adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in March 2016, include indicator 16.2.1: “Percentage of children aged 1-17 who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month”. The adoption of this indicator recognises the centrality of prohibiting and eliminating corporal punishment for ending all violence against children and achieving other Sustainable Development Goals, including those on health, education, violence against women and girls and equality.

This briefing sets out, for each of the 22 states to be reviewed at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2016, the law reform that is necessary in order to achieve prohibition of corporal punishment in all settings and the latest information on prevalence of corporal punishment as documented through UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and other studies.

High Level Political Forum briefing 2016