The Committee on the Rights of the Child – a body of experts that monitor and report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – defines corporal punishment as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light”.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, corporal punishment “involves the application of some form of physical pain in response to undesirable behaviour”.
Both definitions have an emphasis on how pain is inflicted to punish, which makes corporal punishment distinct from actions such as physically restraining a child to protect the child or another person from harm.
Legality
During the late 20th and early 21st century, many countries around the world have banned corporal punishment of children, even when carried out by a parent or other legal guardians in the home. Yet, according to an estimate made by the Human Rights Watch in 2014, 90% of the world´s children then lived in countries where corporal punishment against children was legal.
By the end of 2018, corporal punishment of children by parents or other legal guardians was illegal in 58 countries. The most reason addition to this list of countries is Nepal, which changed its law in September 2018.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child seems to have had a major influence on this issue globally. When the convention was adopted in 1989, only a handful of countries already banned the corporal punishment of children by parents and other legal guardians.
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Reporting Violence Against Children: Global Systems & Statutory Helplines
Comparative framework of national reporting lines, mandatory reporter laws, and statutory child protection authorities
European Standard
116 111
Harmonized EU helpline
Global Network
Child Helpline Int.
150+ member nations
Legal Duty
Mandatory Reporting
Statutory duty on professionals
Active Hazard
Central Emergency
911 • 999 • 112 services
| Country / Region |
Reporting Lines |
Public Authority |
Reporting Legalities & Intake Mechanism |
|
United States
Emergency: 911
|
1-800-4-A-CHILD
Childhelp National Hotline (24/7 call/text)
|
Child Protective Services (CPS) / DCFS
State & county social service agencies
|
Statutory mandatory reporting laws apply across all 50 states to educators, health care workers, therapists, and law enforcement. Reports are logged with county CPS or state hotlines. Anonymity is permitted for non-mandated community reporters.
|
|
United Kingdom
Emergency: 999
|
0800 1111 (Childline)
0808 800 5000 (NSPCC Adult)
|
Local Authority Children’s Social Care
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH)
|
Referrals route via Local Authority Children’s Services. Mandatory reporting applies federally to specific crimes (such as FGM), while general institutional safeguarding duties are codified in statutory guidance under Working Together to Safeguard Children.
|
|
Canada
Emergency: 911
|
1-800-668-6868
Kids Help Phone (or text CONNECT to 686868)
|
Provincial / Territorial Child Welfare
e.g., Children’s Aid Societies (CAS), DPJ
|
Most Canadian provinces enforce a universal duty to report: any member of the public with reasonable grounds to suspect child abuse or neglect is legally obligated under provincial child welfare legislation to report directly to an authorized child welfare agency.
|
|
Australia
Emergency: 000
|
1800 55 1800
Kids Helpline (Youth ages 5–25)
|
State/Territory Child Protection
e.g., DCJ (NSW), DFFH (VIC)
|
Centralized child protection intake lines (e.g., NSW Child Protection Helpline: 132 111) process formal reports. Extensive mandatory reporting regimes penalize designated professionals (educators, medical personnel, childcare workers) for failing to formally report significant risks of harm.
|
|
European Union
Emergency: 112
|
116 111 (Child Line)
116 000 (Missing Children)
|
National Youth Welfare Offices
e.g., Jugendamt, ASE, Socialtjänsten
|
Standardized European telecommunication directives reserve 116 111 as a free, confidential helpline across member states, operated by accredited NGOs or national ombudsman services. Reports requiring legal intervention are transferred to municipal social boards or youth protection police.
|
|
Mexico
Emergency: 911
|
089 (Anonymous Report)
55 5533 5533 (Consejo Ciudadano)
|
SNDIF & PPNNA
Procuraduría de Protección de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes
|
Governed by the Ley General de los Derechos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes. Cases of physical, psychological, or sexual violence route through state/municipal DIF units and specialized prosecutorial offices (Fiscalías Especializadas). Citizen reports can be submitted anonymously via 089.
|
|
Sweden
Emergency: 112
|
116 111 (BRIS Youth)
077-150 50 50 (BRIS Adult)
|
Socialtjänsten (Social Services)
Municipal social welfare boards
|
Professionals working in education, healthcare, and childcare have an explicit statutory duty under Socialtjänstlagen (14 kap. 1 § SoL) to submit immediate concern notices (orosanmälan) upon suspicion of harm. Sweden was the first country to enact a total ban on corporal punishment (1979).
|
|
India
Emergency: 112
|
1098
Childline India (National Emergency Line)
|
Child Welfare Committees (CWC)
Ministry of Women & Child Development
|
Governed under the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO Act. The 1098 service coordinates 24/7 crisis intervention, police mobilization, protective shelter, and legal proceedings before quasi-judicial district Child Welfare Committees.
|
|
Japan
Emergency: 110 / 119
|
189 (Child Abuse Hotline)
0120-0-78310 (Bullying Dial)
|
Jidō Sōdanjo (Child Guidance Centers)
Children and Families Agency
|
Dialing 189 connects automatically to the regional Child Guidance Center (Jidō Sōdanjo). Under the Child Abuse Prevention Law, any person who identifies or suspects abuse is legally expected to report immediately, enabling rapid temporary protective custody orders.
|
Reporting Principle: In nearly all legal jurisdictions, individuals reporting in good faith are granted statutory civil and criminal immunity from liability, and the evidentiary standard required to trigger an intake investigation is reasonable suspicion rather than conclusive proof. In cases of immediate life-threatening danger, active domestic violence, or ongoing physical harm, contact the jurisdiction’s central emergency services line (911, 999, or 112).
Voices against corporal punishment of children
A few examples of organizations that have spoken out against the corporal punishment of children.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health of the United Kingdom
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health of the United Kingdom opposes corporal punishment of children in all circumstances.
The organization asserts that “Corporal punishment [of] children has both short term and long term adverse effects and in principle should not be used since it models an approach which is discouraged between adults”.
The Canadian Paediatric Society
The Canadian Paediatric Society has stated that “The research that is available supports the position that spanking and other forms of physical punishment are associated with negative child outcomes. The Canadian Paediatric Society, therefore, recommends that physicians strongly discourage disciplinary spanking and all other forms of physical punishment”.
The paediatrics division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
The paediatrics division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians is advocating for a nationwide ban on the physical punishment of children in Australia. They argue that the physical punishment of a child is a violation of the child´s human rights, particularly the child´s right to protection against physical assault.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated that parents, other caregivers, and adults interacting with children and adolescents should not use corporal punishment.
The United States National Association of Social Workers
The United States National Association of Social Workers opposes the use of physical punishment of children in homes, schools and all other institutions where children are cared for and educated.
