Cuba and Mauritius prohibit corporal punishment

Date: 17th January 2023
Category: Equal protection from violence, Right to life, survival and development

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Cuba and Mauritius have introduced new progressive legislation banning corporal punishment. This brings the total percentage of children worldwide protected by law from all corporal punishment to approximately 14% of the global child population, according to End Violence Against Children.

After a referendum was held in Cuba in September, new legislation is now being introduced prohibiting corporal punishment of any form in the home and alternative care. According to End Violence Against Children, the Family Code 2022 is being widely recognised as one of the “most progressive codes of families”, progressing children’s rights and protecting the rights of children within families and care settings. However, corporal punishment in school settings has not been outlawed.

A few weeks after Cuba’s referendum, children’s rights prevailed in Mauritius with the enactment of the Children’s Act 2020, banning all corporal punishment of children. Mauritius has become the 65^th state worldwide to safeguard children’s rights and prohibit all forms of corporal punishment in all settings including online.

• Read more about Cuba’s prohibition on corporal punishment here.
• Read more about Mauritius’ full ban on corporal punishment here.