Prohibiting Corporal Punishment of Children in West and Central Africa: Progress Report 2014: Following up on the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children

All over the world, states and territories are passing laws to protect children from corporal punishment wherever they are, including in their family homes. Since 2006, the number of states which have achieved the necessary law reform has more than doubled: there are now 41 states across all regions which prohibit corporal punishment in all settings, including the home. 

The level of ratification of the main human rights agreements relating to children is high in West and Central African states: all have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and all but three have ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

This publication further describes the meaning of law reform, the national and regional action necessary to ensure that reform is carried through and individual country reports on the status of law reform and implementation and the local level.