Committee on the Rights of the Child issues recommendations on corporal punishment

During its 83rd session in January/February 2020, the Committee on the Rights of the Child made recommendations on corporal punishment of children to all states examined:

  • To Belarus, the Committee called on the state to take urgent measures to tackle corporal punishment of children. It recommended that Belarus explicitly prohibit corporal punishment, in law and in practice, in all settings, and that it conduct awareness-raising activities on positive, non-violent forms of discipline and take any other measures with a view to eradicating the acceptance and prevalence of corporal punishment.
  • To Rwanda, the Committee recommended explicit prohibition of corporal punishment in legislation and in all settings and for the state to implement awareness-raising programmes which highlight the negative impact of violent discipline and to also draw attention to alternative non-violent forms of discipline.
  • The Committee issued its first recommendation to the State of Palestine, recommending that it prohibit corporal punishment in law, in all settings and to develop awareness-raising and education campaigns that underscore the negative consequences of corporal punishment.
  • To Austria, which enacted a ban in 1989, the Committee voiced concern that the legal prohibition of corporal punishment is still unknown to parts of the population. The Committee recommended that the state take measures to raise awareness among children, parents, caregivers, teachers and those working with children.
  • To Costa Rica, the Committee recommended that the state enforce legislation enacted in 2008 that prohibits corporal punishment as well as ensure national implementation of positive parenting programmes and hold perpetrators of corporal punishment criminally responsible.
  • The Committee urged Hungary to effectively implement the legal prohibition on corporal punishment which was passed in 2005 and to strengthen awareness-raising campaigns on promoting alternative forms of discipline.

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