During its 42^nd session, the Human Rights Council adopted the final working group reports for the Universal Periodic Review’s 33^rd session, which included states’ final formal responses to all recommendations extended. States can either ‘support’ (accept) or ‘note’ UPR recommendations:

• DPR Korea, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Qatar supported recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment of children.
• Bhutan noted pending recommendations on the prohibition of all corporal punishment, stating it did “not feel the need to pursue legislative reforms or enactment of new legislation”.
• Dominica noted several recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment of children.
• Brunei Darussalam ‘did not accept’ several recommendations made to prohibit judicial corporal punishment of children, stating “corporal punishments in the [Sharia Penal Code] will not be carried out arbitrarily and are intended to protect the society against serious crimes through the mechanism of deterrence, ensuring justice for the victims and their family and generally to preserve peace, morality and decency of the public”.
• Despite the ongoing legality of corporal punishment in Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia, no recommendations on the issue were made to them.

Albania and Costa Rica supported recommendations to implement their existing bans effectively. Prohibition of all corporal punishment of children was enacted there in 2010 and 2008 respectively.

For further information:

• Read our report on the initial outcomes of the 33^rd session of the Universal Periodic Review
• Visit our page on the Universal Periodic Review for more information on the review process
• See also the individual country reports of states reviewed in the 33^rd session: Albania, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, DPR Korea, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Norway, Portugal and Qatar.
• For information on how you can support the campaign to protect all children from corporal punishment, have a look at how to get involved.