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This is a report on the prohibition of corporal punishment of children in West Africa. These are some of the alarming statistics in a new regional report published by the Global Initiative in collaboration with Save the Children and Plan International. But the report – Prohibiting corporal punishment of children in West Africa: progress report 2012 – also documents active campaigns at national and regional levels, growing faith based support for prohibition, and significant and immediate opportunities for law reform to prohibit corporal punishment across the region. Intended as a tool to provoke and support advocacy to prohibit and eliminate corporal punishment, the report provides information on the human rights imperative for law reform and the work of the treaty monitoring bodies in relation to West African states, details of ratification of human rights instruments and acceptance of relevant communications and complaints mechanisms in the region, a state-by-state analysis of the legality of corporal punishment in the home, schools, penal system and care settings, and individual country reports for every West African state. Writing a “Message” in the report Agnès Kaboré, Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, states: This report highlights some initiatives implemented in West Africa to end corporal punishment of children. I hope it will serve as a catalyst to promote more advocacy and education in Africa and particularly in West Africa. The African Committee wishes to thank all stakeholders and development partners for their commitment to fighting this scourge in our West African subregion and wants to step up the fight until its total eradication. Let us unite to eradicate corporal punishment of children in Africa! The 36-page report is available for download in English and French.