On 28 January 2020 a landmark vote was held in the Welsh National Assembly, in which Assembly Members voted 36 to 14 to approve the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill. The Welsh Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, is the main decision-making body of Wales, with the power to make legislation, vary taxes, and scrutinize the Welsh Government.  

The new law will come into force in 2022, after extensive awareness campaigns across Wales to ensure parents know and understand the changes under the new law.

Catriona Williams OBE, a founding member and first president of Eurochild (and now retired Chief Executive of Children in Wales) said “The Children Wales Bill is another milestone in implementing children’s human rights in Wales. I’m so proud to be part of an historic moment in Wales.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford, said “I’m proud Wales has taken this step and once again put children’s rights at the heart of what we do here in Wales.”

Professor Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, said: “I’m so pleased, delighted and proud that Wales has joined dozens of other countries around the world to give children the same protection from physical punishment that adults enjoy. It’s never ok to hit a child – congratulations to the Welsh Government and to members of the Senedd who have prioritised children’s rights by passing this legislation.”

The number of countries that have banned corporal punishment has grown significantly since the 1989 adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, the monitoring body of the UNCRC, has emphasised that effective protection of human rights requires the elimination of all corporal punishment and all cruel or degrading treatment of children. As of September 2018, corporal punishment is completely banned (both in the public and at home) in 58 countries, with 25 of these countries in Europe, according to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children.  

To read more about the initiatives in place in Wales and the new corporal punishment ban, visit Children in Wales here. 

Source
Countries this relates to

Childhub

You might like..

0
5
The safeguarding framework is an overarching approach to safeguarding children in and through sport. The framework incorporates: standards, support, progress and evaluation The framework consists of five standards that a sports…
0
4
As a first country in the UK Scotland has made it a crime for parents to smack their children. The new regulation will grant the children the same protection from assault as adults. Smacking in England is illegal, excluding cases where it is used as…
0
25
Kosovo becomes the 55th country to achieve a full legal prohibition of all forms of corporal punishment of children in all settings. This is a great achievement for Save the Children and several other children and youth groups who have persistently…
0
4
The BBC reports on the newly introduced smacking ban bill in Scotland, presenting the country as the very first part of the United Kingdom to do so. Before the bill, it was allowed and quite common among parents and carers to use smacking as a form…
0
13
The #Chances4Children campaign, launched by Children and Young People Now, aims to create a platform where practitioners, teams and leaders are able to share their experiences and innovative ideas about working with children and young people.…
0
17
The Guardian's Helen Pidd reports that Unicef has recommended the use of Tasers and spit hoods on children should be banned in the UK. Unicef found that the police in some forces in England use them disproportionately on black, Asian and minority…
0
10
"The Lancet " the British medical journal published a report on pediatric pain. A commission of specialists tested the individuals who deal with children to end what they depicted as the basic under treatment of torment in children,…
0
160
The international organization Save the Children of Sweden has created a “map of the children’s world” where there are countries that have explicitly banned all forms of corporal punishment of children in all settings. What was considered radical in…
0
646
France becomes the 56th country to achieve a full legal prohibition of all forms of corporal punishment of children in all settings with the passing of the Bill entitled “interdiction des violences educatives ordinaires” approved by the Parliament…
0
82
This is one of three booklets produced by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment with support from Save the Children Sweden. These booklets should give parents and carers, government officials, education professionals and others the…
0
16
Council of Europe has developed tools for actors and institutions involved in child protection as part of the efforts to abolish corporal punishment of children in Europe. “Hitting people is wrong – and children are people too” is a message…
0
45
Council of Europe has developed tools for actors and institutions involved in child protection as part of the efforts to abolish corporal punishment of children in Europe. “Hitting people is wrong – and children are people too” is a message…
0
36
The Children’s Commissioner for England released a report examining the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on children. The report found that less than 25% of children attended school since March, during the lockdown. Thousands of children did not…
0
9
Every year on 20th June the World Refugee Day is celebrated worldwide, however in the UK to commemorate the "contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees" a week long festival is organised. They have cultural, educational and art events…
0
1067
Warning signs of racism and racial bullying:  Calling names  Physical damage of belongings  Violent attacks  Exclusion from the community Associating skin colour with personality traits  Being under pressure to change your…