During its 52^nd session, in March 2023, the Human Rights Council adopted the final working group reports for the Universal Periodic Review’s 41^st session, which included states’ final formal responses to all recommendations extended. States can either accept or ‘note’ UPR recommendations.

India, Indonesia, Morocco and the Philippines accepted recommendations to prohibit corporal punishment of children in some or all settings of their lives.

Note: Indonesia and the Philippines were already committed to reforming their laws to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings. In the Philippines, a House Bill and a Senate Bill were respectively introduced in July 2022 and March 2023. Both bills aim to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings.

We will be following up with India, Indonesia and Morocco to confirm their intentions to introduce prohibiting legislation.

Algeria and the UK noted (rejected) recommendations to prohibit in all settings.  Referring to the recommendations that it rejected, the Government of Algeria stated (unofficial translation): ‘ …Some [of these] recommendations are in contradiction with the Constitution or contrary to the values and rules that unite the Algerian society…’

Despite the ongoing legality of corporal punishment in Bahrain and Ecuador, no recommendations on the issue were made to them. They both supported general recommendations on the protection of children from violence.

Prohibiting state Tunisia (enacted prohibition in 2010) received a recommendation to enforce the criminal prohibition of corporal punishment of children. While Poland (enacted prohibition in 2010) accepted a recommendation to ‘strengthen measures to eradicate corporal punishment within educational institutions and in the home’.

Find out more:

• 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 41st session: Algeria, Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Philippines, Brazil, Poland, Netherlands and South Africa.