Middle East and North Africa region works towards prohibiting corporal punishment of children

A technical workshop on law reform to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment of children in the Middle East and North Africa was held in Beirut, 30 June to 2 July, organised by Save the Children in partnership with the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, the League of Arab States and the Higher Council for Childhood in Lebanon. Around 70 participants attended, from Governments and non-government organisations across the region. It followed a two day meeting of the League of Arab States which focused on the region’s follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children, and provided an opportunity for participants to focus on the recommendation of the Study to prohibit as a matter of priority all forms of corporal punishment of children in all settings.

During the workshop, the key elements of law reform were described and guidance given on how to develop national strategies to achieve prohibition in all settings. There was in depth discussion about the challenges faced and how to overcome them, and exploration of how action can be taken at a regional as well as a national level. This work culminated in presentations by participants of national strategies for law reform drafted during the workshop, to be further developed and implemented on returning to their respective countries. Civil society representatives had the opportunity to discuss the significant role they can play in promoting law reform and ways of overcoming the particular challenges they face. A report of the work is available here.

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