How This Data Is Compiled

Each country is classified as sovereign or territory, with recognition and UN membership status noted. We record whether legislation abolishing corporal punishment of children exists in four key settings: Home, Out-of-Home Care, Schools, and Penal Institutions. The year of enactment is shown where available, otherwise marked as “Not Legislated.” National-level laws are the primary focus, with sub-national legal systems to be mapped in future phases.

Country:[Name of Country]

Country Classification: For each country, we identified whether it was self-ruling (sovereign) or a territory (non-self-governing). In addition, we identified their recognition status. Countries with full recognition are those whose borders and jurisdiction are fully recognised by the global community. Partially recognized countries are those whose sovereignty is not universally recognized by all countries. Territories with full recognition are those where there is no dispute about which nation they are a part of. A partially recognised territory is one where there is contention about which country they are a part of. Finally, membership status refers to whether or not they have a seat and vote in the United Nations.

Legislation: Abolishment of Corporal Punishment of Children

Gatekeeper Body: [Name of authority or governing body, where known]

Year of Legislation

This section shows the year in which legislation was enacted or acknowledged for each setting. If no legislation has been passed for a specific setting, it is marked as Not Legislated.

Example:

Home: Not Legislated

Out-of-Home-Care : 2014

Schools: 2014

Penal Institutions: 2016

Stage: This number indicates how many of the four settings have been legislated against corporal punishment of children.

Comment :

National vs Sub-National Legal Structures

Depending on each country’s legal structure, some nations operate under a unified system of national legislation, while others have federated systems where laws vary across states or provinces. For the purposes of this report, the focus was placed on identifying legal prohibitions at the national level. In the next phase of this project, countries with decentralised legal systems, such as Australia, the United States, and India, will be examined in greater detail, with legislative mapping extended to the sub-national level to provide a more comprehensive analysis.