The Day of the African Child is celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, in memory of the student uprising on that day in 1979 in Soweto, South Africa, and raising awareness of the continuing need for improvement in the fulfilment of the education and other rights of African children. This year, it is commemorated on the theme “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for Children in Africa: Accelerating protection, empowerment and equal opportunity”.
This briefing highlights how prohibition of all corporal punishment of children in Africa is an essential step towards fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - particularly target 16.2 to end all violence against children, and targets related to health, well-being and quality education - and Africa’s Agenda for Children 2040: Fostering an Africa Fit for Children.
It also tracks progress towards universal prohibition and, in light of the theme of the Day of the African Child 2017, calls on African governments to:
- Fulfill their obligation under international and regional human rights law by enacting legislation to prohibit all corporal punishment of children, including in the home, as a matter of urgency, and ensuring its effective implementation in the best interests of the child
- Develop and implement national campaigns and educational measures for parents, teachers and others on children’s right to protection from corporal punishment, the negative impact of its use and the benefits of alternative, positive forms of childrearing and education
