Why should it be made illegal to hit children for disciplinary reasons? What right does the state have to interfere in

the way children are raised? How can public attitudes be shifted towards positive and non-violent parenting? These

and many other issues are discussed in this booklet, intended for parents, policy makers, lawyers, children's advocates and

other people working with children, all of whom have a vested interest in their well-being.

Divided into four main parts, this booklet defines corporal punishment of children; gives reasons, based on international

law, why corporal punishment should be abolished; discusses how abolition can be achieved; and debunks myths and

public fears hovering around the issue. Punishing children physically is an act of violence and a violation of children's

human rights. Every nation in Europe has a legal obligation to join the 17 European nations that have already enacted

a total ban on corporal punishment of children.