Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children

Can you provide any information on corporal punishment in alternative care of children?

All over the world, children are hit and hurt by adults responsible for their care and education. The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children works for an end to legalised violence against children, through research, lobbying and providing information on law reform. IFSW pledged its support for the Initiative at the General Meeting in Geneva in 2002.

Corporal punishment of children occurs in all settings where adults have authority over children, including in children’s own homes, schools and in penal systems. Across the world, law reform continues apace, with bans on all corporal punishment of children now in force in 29 states, and 110 states now prohibiting corporal punishment in schools.

Corporal punishment is still lawful in some or all alternative care in 156 states worldwide. Many children in alternative care are among the most vulnerable to dangerous and damaging punitive violence from adults, including children living in institutions, many children with disabilities, and very young children and babies.

The Global Initiative’s new project focuses on alternative care of children. By making the issue more visible in this sector, we aim to provoke action on prohibiting and eliminating all corporal punishment in alternative care. We are currently gathering information for the production of a report to be published (with Save the Children Sweden) in 2011.

Can you help us?

We are interested in all kinds of institutional and residential care for children, foster care, day care and early childhood care, in any country. We are seeking information about:

- Existing and potential legislation on corporal punishment of children in all forms of alternative care.

- Published or unpublished research into the prevalence of and attitudes towards corporal punishment in any form of alternative care.

- Organisations working in alternative care, including faith-based organisations.

If you have any information on these topics, please fill in our questionnaire. Download it from:

http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/children/questionnaire.

Or contact
elinor@endcorporalpunishment.org for more information.
“The alliance are particulary keen to receive information about good practices. “