ICCPR concluding observations 2024, paragraph 55
Plain English recommendation
Government should:
(a) Ban the physical punishment of children. Remove the common law defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ and strengthen promotion of non-violent discipline;
(b) Raise the minimum age for criminal responsibility. This change should follow international standards and should be in place everywhere, including the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories;
(c) Consider raising the minimum age for joining the armed forces to 18, and stop any advertisement or marketing of military service aimed at children.
Original UN recommendation
The State party should:
(a) Enact legislation that explicitly and clearly prohibits corporal punishment of children in all settings, removing the common law defence of “reasonable chastisement”, throughout the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies and overseas territories, and strengthen its efforts to encourage non-violent forms of discipline as alternatives to corporal punishment;
(b) Raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, in accordance with internationally accepted standards, throughout the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies and overseas territories, particularly in the above-mentioned areas;
(c) Consider raising the minimum age of voluntary recruitment into the armed forces to 18 years and prohibit all forms of advertising and marketing of military service targeted at children.
Date of UN examination
03/05/2024
Original UN document
Download the original ICCPR concluding observations 2024 on the UN website.
Last updated on 25/04/2025