In a ceremony held on 7 October 2014 in the Bicentennial Museum, Buenos Aires, the President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner promulgated the new Civil and Commercial Code, which will come into force in January 2016. Article 647 of the Code explicitly prohibits all corporal punishment of children (unofficial translation):

“All forms of corporal punishment, ill-treatment and any act that physically or mentally injures or impairs children and adolescents are prohibited….”

The reform makes Argentina the seventh Latin American country to enact legislation fully protecting children from all corporal punishment, including within the home – giving full legal protection from this form of violence to 47.6% of the region’s children. The total number of states to achieve this worldwide is now 41 (protecting 9.1% of the world child population).

For further information, see the states prohibiting page, and the detailed country report on Argentina.