Countdown to universal prohibition

Global progress towards achieving prohibition of all corporal punishment of children in all settings is accelerating worldwide, particularly in the context of the UN Study on Violence against Children and its follow up. As at May 2010, the total number of states with full prohibition in law is 26.

Hover over each box below to discover the number of states.

Accelerating progress towards prohibition

Note: For the purposes of this analysis, the total number of states is 197, comprising all those that have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child except for Vatican City (which has no child population), plus Palestine, Somalia, Taiwan, USA and Western Sahara. For information relating to states’ overseas/dependent territories, including detailed reports on laws and research, go to our online global table.

Even where prohibition in the home is not yet on states’ agendas, progress is being made in enacting prohibition in other settings.

Summary of legality of corporal punishment of children worldwide

Click here for a global state by state analysis of progress towards universal prohibition.

But there is still a long way to go. If all those states which have publicly committed to full prohibition, and those whose parliaments are currently considering prohibitionist bills, enact prohibition, it would give equal protection from assault to children in a quarter of UN member-states. BUT that still leaves around 80% of the world’s children vulnerable to legalised violence at the hands of adults.

See full details of states which have achieved prohibition, including in the home.

Individual country reports for every state worldwide, including details of relevant legislation, research and treaty monitoring body recommendations
The good news ...
  • 26 states have prohibited all corporal punishment in all settings, including the home
  • Supreme Courts in 2 additional states – Italy and Nepal – have ruled that corporal punishment in childrearing is unlawful
  • At least 22 more states are committed to full prohibition and/or are actively debating prohibitionist bills in parliament
  • New Zealand is the first English-speaking state to enact full prohibition (June 2007)
  • The first Latin American state to achieve prohibition is Uruguay (November 2007), followed by Venezuela and Costa Rica
  • The Council of Europe is the first inter-governmental body to launch a campaign for universal prohibition across its 47 member states

  • These states have achieved full prohibition:
The bad news ...
  • 147 states have yet to make a commitment to prohibition in the home
  • Almost 90 states have not prohibited corporal punishment in schools
  • In these states it is still lawful to sentence children to caning, whipping or flogging in their penal systems:

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