Building a Europe for and with children

ECSR Conclusions focus on protecting children against corporal punishment

22.03.12 - In January 2012, the European Committee of Social Rights published its conclusions on the 2011 examination of states under the European Social Charter and the Revised Social Charter, which included a focus on protection of children from corporal punishment in the family. The Committee has previously established that conformity with the Charters requires prohibition of all corporal punishment, including in the home. While noting that many states had achieved the necessary law reform since they were last examined on the issue – currently 22 of the 47 Council of Europe member states have enacted laws prohibiting all corporal punishment – the Committee found that many had not done so. For these states, the Committee concluded that they are not in conformity with the Charter or Revised Charter because corporal punishment is not prohibited in all settings: Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The conclusions in full are available here.