06Dec, 2019

Human Rights Council’s 41st session adopts final reports for UPR 32

The Human Rights Council has adopted the final working group reports for the Universal Periodic Review’s 32nd session, which included states’ final formal responses to all recommendations extended. States can either ‘support’ (accept) or ‘note’ UPR recommendations. Afghanistan and Chile supported recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment of children. Slovakia supported a recommendation to “put an […]

27Nov, 2019

Committee on the Rights of the Child makes recommendations on corporal punishment at 82nd session

The Committee on the Rights of the Child made recommendations on corporal punishment of children to all states examined during the 82nd session: For Australia, the Committee recalled their previous recommendation to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in law in all settings and to repeal the legal defence of “reasonable chastisement”. It also recommended that awareness-raising […]

20Sep, 2019

South Africa prohibits all corporal punishment of children

Updated 31 October 2019 to clarify the roles of our national partners   On 18 September 2019, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that the common law defence of ‘reasonable and moderate chastisement’ was unconstitutional, effectively banning all corporal punishment of children. The Children’s Institute, the Peace Centre and Sonke Gender Justice were respondents […]

12Aug, 2019

Is your state committed to prohibiting all corporal punishment of children?

All states have an obligation to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment of children. Those which are yet to do so often publicly express a political commitment to achieve prohibition, but we have noticed that some of those ‘committed’ states have made no progress in realising this commitment or have since backtracked on it. Commitment […]

24Jul, 2019

African newsletter (issue 32) is out now in English and French

Our African newsletters are published quarterly in English and French, providing a round-up of recent developments, campaigns and positive moves towards ending corporal punishment from across the continent. This latest edition also presents new resources to support advocacy on the issue, as well as information from African and UN human rights monitoring bodies, including new […]

09Jul, 2019

Namibia prohibits corporal punishment in alternative care

The Global Initiative welcomes the entry into force of the Child Care and Protection Act 2015 in January 2019 by notice in the gazette. The Child Care and Protection Act 2015 replaces the Children’s Act No. 33 1960, repealing the statutory right of parents to “punish and to exercise discipline” and prohibiting corporal punishment of […]