30 April is the International Day to #EndCorporalPunishment – an important global moment to advocate to end violent punishment against children, show support for all children who face this and call for better protection of children as human rights holders.
From End violence:
Corporal punishment is the most common form of violence against children. Yet, only 14 percent of children globally are fully protected from the practice by law. End Violence is advocating for and supporting efforts to achieve and implement law reform to prohibit violent forms of punishment.
ENDING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Corporal punishment – or violent discipline at the hands of caregivers – is the most common form of violence against children.
Across the world, 4 in 5 children aged 2-14 are subjected to corporal punishment. This takes place in many fundamental settings – in homes, classrooms, childcare settings and juvenile justice centres. And today, 86 percent of the world’s children are not protected from this practice by law.
No matter the intention, physically hurting a child is never okay and has the potential to affect them for the rest of their life. Corporal punishment causes pain and humiliation, violates rights, and impacts long-term health and well-being, often causing a ripple effect for decades to come.
End Corporal Punishment is catalysing progress towards universal prohibition and elimination of violent punishment of children. As a critical initiative of the End Violence Partnership, it is advocating for full and comprehensive law reform to prohibit corporal punishment, raising awareness about the issue, monitoring law throughout the world, and promoting action and implementation. We are working with partners across the world to make violent discipline of children by caregivers a thing of the past.
40 years ago, only one country had banned all corporal punishment of children. Today, 65 have taken this fundamental step for children. The End Violence Partnership will continue to mobilise efforts to ensure that each country legally eliminates the practice in all settings and ensures safety for all its children.
As the most common form of violence against children worldwide, corporal punishment leads to the injury, disability and death of thousands of children each year. Its widespread social acceptance means that a level of violence in raising children is normalised, entrenching children’s low status in society and paving the way for other forms of violence and mistreatment.
Corporal punishment is a violation of children’s rights. It infringes upon their right to protection from violence, respect for their physical and human dignity, development, education, health and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In their ratification of international human rights laws and commitments under the Sustainable development Goals, governments are already obligated and committed to prohibiting and eliminating all corporal punishment of children.
Capacity Building for Sustainable Development 