2 Engagement and participation of key stakeholders Consulting and engaging different key stakeholders throughout the policy-making process has been an important part of building broad support for ending corporal punishment. As a practice often deeply embedded in cultural, historical, educational and/or social norms, bringing on board those most directly affected is necessary in order to achieve a change of vision that will endure in the long-term. MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS Baltic Sea States: Regional programme of multiple stakeholders sharing good practices The Non-Violent Childhoods programme has been developed and led by the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat, a collaborative, multi-stakeholder planning and action to promote the implementation of a ban on corporal punishment of children in the Baltic Sea Region. Representatives from government ministries, national Parliaments, Ombudsperson offices for children, academia and CSOs have worked together collecting good practices. This has helped, inter alia, to develop reports on how to implement the ban on such matters as positive parenting. MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS Ghana: Involvement of medical professionals in sensitising about positive discipline Medical professionals, including paediatricians and psychologists, are playing a significant role in Ghana in the process of eliminating the use of corporal punishment: they provide concrete testimonies and reports of the harm suffered by child victims, including the long-term consequences for their mental health; and they identify children who have been victims of violence and help them to report the abuse. In this context, medical professionals at the Koforidua Regional Hospital in Ghana provide regular sensitisation events to parents to encourage them to use a positive approach when disciplining their children. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS Poland: Initiative of the Ombudsperson to inform about the prohibition In Poland, the Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights helped to raise awareness that children have a right to protection from corporal punishment, including through an information campaign called “React. You’ve got the right”, launched in 2013. In follow-up to this campaign, the Ombudsperson developed information material guiding citizens on how to react when they notice signs or acts of violence against children. The campaign achieved positive results and received a special award as a valuable and effective campaign. “ The achievement I am proudest of is having championed and secured the effective ban on the physical punishment of children in the Republic of Ireland. As of 11 December 2015, a person who administers corporal punishment to a child will no longer be able to rely on the archaic common law defence of “reasonable chastisement,” which dates back to 1860.” Independent member in the Upper House of the Irish Parliament from 2011-2016, Honourable Jillian van Turnhout. Estonia: Parents involved in the development of positive discipline programmes Experience in Estonia shows that positive discipline programmes that engage parents and educators can be very effective in transforming persistent attitudes and norms that condone violence against children. For instance, participatory research involving parents revealed that the community-based programme through childcare, child protection and family support improved parenting and communication skills as well as enabled parents to develop strategies for problem solving and managing conflict. TOOL: Positive Discipline and Alternatives to Corporal Punishment of Children 8/15