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Summary: Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg welcomed the UN General study on violence against children, and calls for a total ban of all forms of corporal punishment.
A major UN study on violence against children will be presented this week to the General Assembly of the United Nations. Prepared by the independent expert, Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, the study is the result of 3 years of in-depth research and analysis of the hidden and under-reported phenomenon of violence against children. Commissioner Hammarberg welcomed this first comprehensive study of violence against children, and underlined that “the time has now come to put an end to all kinds of such violence”. “Neither tradition, culture, nor the need for discipline can justify or legitimize violence against children.” “Violence can take many forms, from corporal punishment to chastisement imposed by courts; or from psychological pressure to forced labour. In no country are children entirely protected against violence which can happen at home, in schools, in care institutions, at work or in their community” the Commissioner said. Mr Hammarberg stressed the importance of the UN study's recommendation to prohibit violence against children by law. “Europe should be a continent free from corporal punishment. All countries should adopt legislation banning beating and other violence against children in homes as well as in institutions. I remain available to assist governments in this challenging but very necessary task.”