States receive recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment at the 24th session of the Universal Periodic Review

The 24th session of the Universal Periodic Review was held 18-29 January 2016. Fourteen states were held accountable for their overall human rights records – and for 11, this included their obligation to prohibit and eliminate all corporal punishment of children.

Three of the states examined have already achieved law reform to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, including the home (click on the name of the state for full details):

Other states have yet to meet their obligation to prohibit all corporal punishment and received recommendations to do so from members of the working group of the Human Rights Council. Two states accepted the recommendations immediately, seven must respond formally to the recommendations no later than June 2016; one state accepted one recommendation but must respond to the other by June.

  • Belgium (one recommendation to prohibit all corporal punishment accepted by the Government, another rejected)
  • Mozambique (recommendation to prohibit accepted, making Mozambique the latest state to openly indicate its commitment to full prohibition)
  • Namibia (response pending)
  • Palau (response pending)
  • Paraguay (recommendations accepted by the Government)
  • Seychelles (response pending; Government confirmed that the revised Education Act will prohibit corporal punishment)
  • Sierra Leone (response pending)
  • Singapore (response pending; Government defended corporal punishment of children)
  • Solomon Islands (response pending; Government confirmed that the Education Bill would prohibit corporal punishment in schools but also that the draft new Constitution provides for “reasonable chastisement”)
  • Somalia (response pending)

No recommendation on corporal punishment was made to Niger, despite its legality.

The Global Initiative briefs the UPR on the legality of corporal punishment of children in every state under review which has not yet achieved full prohibition, monitors coverage of the issue during the reviews, and conducts a follow up programme which aims to provoke action at national level to pursue prohibition in Government and among other key institutions. We are keen to hear from national NGOs and NHRIs promoting law reform to prohibit corporal punishment: email info@endcorporalpunishment.org.

For further information, see the UPR page of this website.