As part of our campaign to end inhuman sentencing of children we are naming and shaming States which sentence children to death, life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Click on the country names below for detailed reports.
We are also conducting comparative research across similar legal systems and regions, starting with our Life in the Commonwealth report. We also submit alternative reports to the Universal Period Review (the UN mechanism that reviews that human rights situation in every country every four and half years).
We want to work with States who have made positive commitments to end these human rights abuses - namely law reform. We are encouraging States to contact us to verify and update information on these pages. Please email [email protected] to get in touch.
We also urge civil society organisations to get involved by commenting on and/or verifying the contents of these country reports by either contacting us ([email protected]) or filling in the country assessment questionnaire. Country reports will be updated whenever we receive new information.
Antigua and Barbuda : Although the death penalty is prohibited for child offenders, children may still be lawfully sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Antigua and Barbuda.
Bangladesh : Although the death penalty and life imprisonment were prohibited in 2013, children may still be lawfully sentenced to corporal punishment. Read out country report on Bangladesh.
Barbados : Capital punishment is unlawful for persons under 18 at the time of the offence. However, children can still be sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Barbados.
Botswana : Although children cannot be sentenced to death in Botswana, they may still lawfully be sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Botswana.
Brunei Darussalam: Although the death penalty is prohibited for child offenders, corporal punishment can still be inflicted as a criminal sentence against children. There is also no clear prohibition on life imprisonment for child offenders. Read our country report on Brunei Darussalam.
Dominica: It is unclear whether children can be sentenced to death in Dominica. Capital punishment is unlawful for persons under 18 at the time of the offence if it is murder, but the law lacks clarity for other serious offences. Even so, children can still be sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Dominica.
Guyana: Although capital punishment is prohibited, judicial corporal punishment remains legal and it appears that children can still be sentenced to life imprisonment. Read our country report on Guyana.
India (Jammu and Kashmir): The situation in India regarding inhuman sentencing of children is complicated. Capital punishment of child offenders is unlawful except possibly in Jammu and Kashmir, and in these two provinces children can be sentenced to life imprisonment. This is because Indian federal law is applicable in all 28 states and territories except Jammu and Kashmir. Judicial corporal punishment is unlawful throughout India, but it is still used – perhaps even lawfully – in traditional justice systems. Read our country report on India (Jammu and Kashmir).
Iran: In Iran children can be sentenced to death and corporal punishment, and there is no specific exemption for children when it comes to life imprisonment. Read our country report on Iran.
Kiribati : Children may lawfully receive criminal sentences of life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Kiribati.
Libya : Children cannot be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, but corporal punishment is lawful. Read our country report Libya.
Malaysia: Children can be sentenced to death, life imprisonment and corporal punishment in Malaysia. Read our country report on Malaysia.
Maldives: The laws around capital punishment and life imprisonment for children are unclear, but it appears as if both are legal. But the law is clear when it comes to corporal punishment – child offenders in the Maldives can be handed this inhuman sentence. Read our country report on Maldives.
Nigeria: In Nigeria the situation regarding sentences of death and corporal punishment for children is complicated. They are prohibited in national law, but only where state law confirms this and there are states that have lowered the age definition of a child’s below 18 – meaning these children can be sentenced to death and corporal punishment. Children can be sentenced to life imprisonment for serious crimes, and life imprisonment is often given in lieu of capital punishment or amputation. Read our country report on Nigeria.
Pakistan: Children may be sentenced to death, life imprisonment or corporal punishment. Read our country report on Pakistan.
But there is movement against these human rights violations, and law reform has gone some way to prohibiting capital and corporal punishment for child offenders. See our dedicated page to national campaigns in Pakistan for information.
Qatar: Children may be lawfully sentenced to death, life imprisonment or corporal punishment. Read our country report on Qatar.
Saudi Arabia: Children can lawfully be sentenced to death, life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Saudi Arabia.
Somalia: Children may lawfully be sentenced to death, life imprisonment or corporal punishment. Read our country report on Somalia.
St Kitts and Nevis: The situation regarding inhuman sentencing of children in St Kitts and Nevis is unclear. It appears that children cannot be sentenced to death (although this is not to say that it never happens in practice), but children may be sentenced to corporal punishment and possibly life imprisonment. Read our country report on St Kitts and Nevis
St Vincent and the Grenadines: The law regarding inhuman sentencing against children in St Vincent and the Grenadines is unclear, although it does appear that children cannot be sentenced to death. But they can be sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Singapore: Children may be sentenced to life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Singapore.
Sudan: The legality of capital punishment of child offenders (defined as under 18 at the time of the offence) is unclear in Northern and Southern Sudan. Corporal punishment is unlawful as a sentence in Southern Sudan except possibly under customary law; it appears to be lawful under Islamic law in Northern Sudan. Life imprisonment of persons under 18 is unlawful but this appears to relate to age at the time of sentencing rather than at the time of the offence. Read our country report on Sudan.
Swaziland: Children may lawfully be sentenced to corporal punishment. The death penalty is prohibited for child offenders, but the law on whether children can be sentenced to life imprisonment is very unclear. Read our country report on Swaziland.
Tonga: There are no juvenile justice laws in Tonga, meaning children and adults can be sentenced to death, life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Tonga.
Tuvalu: There is no death penalty in Tuvalu, but children can still lawfully receive criminal sentences of life imprisonment and corporal punishment. Read our country report on Tuvalu.
United Arab Emirates: Children may lawfully be sentenced to death and corporal punishment under Islamic law, but it appears that they cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment. Criminal justice in the UAE is governed primarily by federal law, but local laws (ie at Emirate level) apply in some circumstances. Read our country report on the United Arab Emirates.
United States: Children in the United States may be lawfully sentenced to life imprisonment (and this includes life without parole in some states). Persons under the age of 18 at the time of the offence cannot be given the death penalty. While there is no clear legal prohibition on corporal punishment, it is not available as a criminal sentence. Read our country report on the United States.
Find out about national campaigns in the United States against the inhuman sentencing of children.
Yemen: Reports suggest that children are being executed and remain on death row in Yemen, despite laws prohibiting capital punishment for child offenders. It appears that children cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment, but the situation is unclear and information and statistics on this difficult to find. However, children can definitely be sentenced to corporal punishment, including flogging and amputation. Read our country report on Yemen.
Find out about national campaigns in Yemen against the inhuman sentencing of children.
Zimbabwe: In Zimbabwe boys under 18 can be sentenced to corporal punishment, although interestingly this appears to be unlawful as a criminal sentence for adults. There is no explicit prohibition on life imprisonment for children, but capital punishment for child offenders is unlawful. Read our country report on Zimbabwe.