The positive impact of prohibition of corporal punishment on children’s lives: messages from research

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Legal prohibition is a critical first step in ending corporal punishment as it creates an enabling environment to bring large-scale change within countries. 40 years ago, only one country had legally banned all corporal punishment of children. Today, 65 states have fully prohibited the practice in all settings.  

This briefing paper by End Violence’s End Corporal Punishment initiative summarises the evidence available, both individual country-level research and comparative research that compares countries with and without the prohibition of corporal punishment. 

It highlights how growing evidence suggests that the prohibition of corporal punishment - especially when accompanied by ongoing, comprehensive measures of implementation - is connected with a significant decline in the approval and use of violent punishment of children.