The Global Initiative has recently confirmed that amendments to Montenegro’s Family Law, passed in July 2016, included prohibition of all corporal punishment of children in Montenegro. The amendments, which came into force in August 2016, inserted article 9a which states: (1) Child [sic] shall not be subjected to corporal punishment or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. […]
In England and Wales, corporal punishment is lawful in the home under section 58 of the Children Act 2004, which provides for “reasonable punishment” of children. Although the Children Act 2004 removed the recourse to the “reasonable punishment” defence for any offence more severe than common assault, at the time the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Offences […]
During an extraordinary session on 14 February 2017, the Lithuanian Parliament – the Seimas – passed amendments to the Law on the Fundamentals of Protection of the Rights of the Child 1996, prohibiting all corporal punishment of children. The new law defines corporal punishment as “any punishment in which physical force is used to cause […]
Several provisions of the Equality and Citizenship Law voted in December last year were annulled yesterday (26 January 2017) by the French Constitutional Council, including article 222 prohibiting the use of “corporal violence” against children. Soon after the law was voted, opposition MPs referred it to the Constitutional Council and challenged the constitutionality of several […]
On 22 December 2016, the French Parliament voted to pass the Equality and Citizenship Law. Article 68 of this law completes article 371-1 of the Civil Code as follows (amendment in bold, unofficial translation): “Parental authority is a cluster of rights and duties whose finality is the interest of the child. It is vested in […]
Originally posted 7 November 2016. Updated 10 November 2016 to reflect Government confirmation that prohibition applies in all settings, including all alternative care and day care settings. On 25 October 2016, the Slovenian National Assembly passed Law No. 542-08/16-9/2.6 Amending and Supplementing the Law on Prevention of Family Violence (ZPND-A). The new law prohibits violence […]
The Global Initiative is delighted to present a new global report ahead of a high-level intergovernmental conference hosted by the Austrian Government in Vienna this week (June 2016), and marking the 10th anniversary of the UN Study on Violence against Children. This special report outlines progress to date towards universal prohibition and elimination of all corporal punishment and looks at the […]
At its 116th session in March, the Human Rights Committee examined states on their implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – including on the obligation to prohibit all corporal punishment of children. In its concluding observations on the review of Slovenia, the Committee expressed concern that corporal punishment is not explicitly prohibited […]
The Parliament of Greenland – a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark – has become the latest to enact legislation prohibiting all corporal punishment of children. The passage of Bill No. L 35 brings the Danish Act on Parental Responsibility 2007 into force in Greenland, with effect from April 2016. The Danish Act prohibits […]
Ireland has joined the list of countries outlawing all corporal punishment of children in all settings, including the home. On 11 November 2015, the Irish Parliament adopted legislation explicitly repealing the common law defence of “reasonable chastisement” of children, making Ireland the 20th European Union state to achieve prohibition of corporal punishment, the 29th Council of Europe […]