Human Rights Committee issues recommendations on corporal punishment at latest session
At its 120th session in July 2017, the Human Rights Committee issued recommendations to states on the prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment of children.
- To Madagascar, the Committee recommended that the state take practical measures to end corporal punishment in all settings, including through legal reform, and undertake awareness-raising campaigns and training on positive discipline. The Committee extended the same recommendation to Swaziland and welcomed the prohibition of judicial corporal punishment.
- In its concluding observations on Mongolia’s sixth report, the Committee expressed concern at the continued prevalence of corporal punishment in homes and schools despite the 2016 ban. It recommended that the Government ensure the effective implementation of the ban, including through public education and awareness-raising programmes.
- Finally, the Committee issued a recommendation to Pakistan to ensure that the prohibition of the application of Sharia’h law to “honour crimes” is enforced and jirgas – traditional assemblies sometimes used as criminal courts – are supervised.
For further details, see the Global Initiative’s individual country reports for Madagascar, Mongolia, Pakistan and Swaziland.
For further information on the obligation to prohibit corporal punishment under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to see the Committee’s recommendations in full, see the Global Initiative's page on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.