Prohibiting all Corporal Punishment of Children in Africa: Progress and delay

Prepared by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, this briefing examines progress and delay in Africa in prohibiting corporal punishment of children. Recommendations to prohibit all corporal punishment of children haven been accepted by 17 African states, while seven states have achieved prohibition in all settings.

The briefing finds that seven states do not fully prohibit corporal punishment in any setting, while eight states allow the lawful caning, flogging, and whipping of children as a sentence for crime under the state, religious and/or traditional systems of justice.

This briefing highlights opportunities for law reform and calls for more research into corporal punishment in Africa. The Global Initiative finds that 12 African states lack research into corporal punishment of children for the last ten years.