Date: March 2008

Amnesty International calls for prohibition of corporal punishment in schools

As part of its campaign to Stop Violence Against Women, Amnesty International has published Safe Schools: Every girl’s right. The report describes how violence at school, including corporal punishment, breaches girls’ right to protection from all forms of violence as well as constituting an obstacle to the right to education. Echoing the UN Study on Violence Against Children, the report states (page 4):

“The violence that girls face as they pursue their education violates their fundamental human rights – rights to a life of dignity and security, to be free from violence and to education. No violence is justifiable and all such violence is preventable.”

The report identifies six steps to stop violence against schoolgirls, including the recommendation that government officials and bodies “prohibit all forms of violence against girls, including corporal punishment, verbal abuse, harassment, physical violence, emotional abuse, and sexual violence and exploitation”. The report is to be followed by country-based studies of the problem and targeted campaigning.

For further information click here. The full report is available on the Amnesty International website.

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