"All forms of violence against children must be banned"

Summary: In an address to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly today, Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg said the work in the field of child protection has to focus on implementation. “The first necessary step is to legally ban any kind of violence against children, whether it takes place in schools, in institutions or at home,” he said.

In an address to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly today, Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg said the work in the field of child protection has to focus on implementation. “The first necessary step is to legally ban any kind of violence against children, whether it takes place in schools, in institutions or at home,” he said.

“With its recent modification of its civil law, Greece joined the growing number of Council of Europe member states that have fully and legally banned corporal punishment against children. Today 26 countries in Europe have done either that or firmly committed themselves to completing the prohibition.”

“Indeed the pace of legal reform in this area is gaining momentum as we approach 2009, the year set for the complete abolition of corporal punishment against children. We are gradually coming closer to the goal of making Europe a violence-free zone for children. […] We need to bridge the gap between words and deeds, between agreed norms and reality. I pledge to do my best within my mandate to contribute to making our continent safe for our children,” the Commissioner told MPs.

More information:

• Council of Europe launch of the Violence Study
• UN Study on Violence Against Children