Date: October 2006

UN Secretary General’s Study report sets target of 2009 for prohibition of all violence – including all corporal punishment:

No violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable: this is the key message of the Report of Independent Expert Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to lead the first comprehensive global study on violence against children in 2003.

In the introduction to his report, submitted to the UN General Assembly in New York on October 11 2006, Professor Pinheiro notes that violence against children exists in every country of the world, cutting across culture, class, education, income and ethnic origin: “In every region, in contradiction to human rights obligations and children’s developmental needs, violence against children is socially approved, and is frequently legal and State-authorized.

“The Study should mark a turning point - an end to adult justification of violence against children, whether accepted as ‘tradition’ or disguised as ‘discipline’. There can be no compromise in challenging violence against children. Children’s uniqueness - their potential and vulnerability, their dependence on adults – makes it imperative that they have more, not less, protection from violence.” (Introduction, paras. 1 and 2)

The Report recommends prohibition of all forms of violence against children, in all settings, including all corporal punishment and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading forms of punishment, drawing the attention of states to the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 8. The Report underlines (para. 116) that prohibition of all violence against children should be completed by 2009.

The Study considers violence against children in the various settings in which it occurs, starting with the home and family: “Violence against children in the family may frequently take place in the context of discipline and takes the form of physical, cruel or humiliating punishment. Harsh treatment and punishment in the family are common in both industrialized and developing countries. Children, as reported in studies and speaking for themselves during the Study’s regional consultations, highlighted the physical and psychological hurt they suffer as a result of these forms of treatment and proposed positive and effective alternative forms of discipline.

“Physical violence is often accompanied by psychological violence. Insults, name-calling, isolation, rejection, threats, emotional indifference and belittling are all forms of violence that can be detrimental to a child’s psychological development and well-being – especially when it comes from a respected adult such as a parent. It is of critical importance that parents be encouraged to employ exclusively non-violent methods of discipline.” (paras. 41 and 42)

Introducing the detailed recommendations in the Report, Professor Pinheiro notes that UN member states have already made commitments to protect children from all forms of violence: “However, we must accept – from children’s testimony during the Study process, as well as reflected in research, that these commitments are far from being fulfilled. The core message of the Study is that no violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable. There should be no more excuses. Member States must act now with urgency to fulfil their human rights obligations and other commitments to ensure protection from all forms of violence.

“While legal obligations lie with States, all sectors of society, all individuals, share the responsibility of condemning and preventing violence against children and responding to child victims. None of us can look children in the eye, if we continue to approve or condone any form of violence against them.” (para. 91)

During 2005, nine regional consultations were held in connection with the UNSG’s Study in all parts of the world. Recommendations developed at every consultation included calls for the prohibition and elimination of all corporal punishment. For Global Initiative reports submitted to each regional consultations, go to our reports page.

Background

In 2001, on the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the General Assembly in its resolution 56/138 requested the Secretary-General to conduct an in-depth study on the question of violence against children and to put forward recommendations for consideration by Member States for appropriate action. In February 2003, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro was appointed by the Secretary-General to lead this study. The Secretary General submitted the report to the General Assembly in October 2006. Full report is available at www.violencestudy.org.

A book, complementing the report, is also available at www.violencestudy.org.

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