What we do

End Corporal Punishment acts as a catalyst for progress towards universal prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment of children. We support and analyse national progress, monitor legality and implementation worldwide, partner with organisations at all levels, and engage with human rights treaty body systems.

 

Legal research and review of research and resources

  • We maintain detailed individual reports for all states and territories worldwide, including information on the legality of corporal punishment in each setting (home, alternative care, day care, schools, penal institution and as a sentence for crime) and the law reform necessary to achieve prohibition, summaries of prevalence research and relevant recommendations made by human rights treaty bodies and during the Universal Periodic Review.
  • We produce and disseminate global and regional summaries of progress towards prohibition.
  • We identify opportunities for law reform to prohibit corporal punishment in all regions - including laws being reviewed or revised, bills under discussion and harmonisation of national laws with human rights standards - and maintain this information on our website.
  • We monitor and produce summaries of the research on the nature and prevalence of corporal punishment worldwide, its harmful impact on children and societies and the positive impact of prohibition and other measures to reduce its use.
  • We review resources on positive, non-violent discipline in childrearing and education, and share information about them on our website and in publications.

Briefing and reviewing the work of human rights treaty bodies

  • We systematically brief selected treaty monitoring bodies on states coming up for examination: briefings are currently submitted to the: - Committee on the Rights of the Child - Committee Against Torture - Human Rights Committee - Universal Periodic Review – and occasionally regional human rights monitoring bodies.
  • We monitor recommendations made by treaty bodies and under the Universal Periodic Review by reviewing all concluding observations and final reports as soon as they are issued, including all relevant extracts on our country reports and on our website. We also keep an ongoing analysis of these recommendations for use in advocacy for law reform.

Promoting and pursuing advocacy

  • We provide support and advice on campaigning for law reform and effective implementation of legal bans, including through publications, law reform workshops and individually tailored advice and support to national partners and campaigns.
  • We provide technical assistance on drafting prohibiting legislation, including formal and informal comments on bills and draft laws in individual states, as appropriate.
  • We promote advocacy for prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment in related areas of human rights, including health, disability, and women and girls, and in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and regional development agendas.
  • We support legal action in states which appear to be making no progress, including through constitutional challenges to corporal punishment or the use of human rights complaints or communications mechanisms.
  • We keep children's right to equal protection from assault on the agenda by contributing to dialogues and keeping advocates informed on opportunities and developments at the national, regional and global level.