Zambia prohibits all corporal punishment of children!
Zambia prohibits all corporal punishment of children!
We are delighted to tell you that Zambia has become the 64th state worldwide and the 11th in Africa to prohibit all corporal punishment of children!
Zambia achieved full prohibition with the enactment of the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022. Section 22 of the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022 states: “A person shall not impose corporal punishment as a form of punishment on a child.”
The new Code also enacted many other critical reforms and protections for children, including the prohibition of child marriage, FGM, sexual harassment, an obligation on all institutions to implement child safeguarding and protection procedures, and more.
Read more about Zambia’s milestone Children’s Code here.
The End Violence Partnership and End Corporal Punishment congratulate Zambia on this significant advance for children and look forward to continuing to work with the Zambian Government in eliminating all forms of violence against children wherever they may be.
Read about Zambia's inspiring political leadership and action to end all violence against children.
Enactment of the Children’s Code affords legal protection from corporal punishment to Zambia’s 9 million children, bringing the total number of children worldwide protected by law from all violent punishment to approximately 322 million.
However, 135 states are yet to achieve this crucial advance for children, and huge numbers of children around the world are still waiting for the realisation of their fundamental human right to protection from violent punishment.
