CIVIL SOCIETY Fiji: Government partners with civil society on child protection law Fiji’s Constitution of 2013 provides that “every person has the right to security of the person, which includes the right to be free from any form of violence from any source, at home, school, work or in any other place.” The Government of Fiji has been working in close partnership with CSOs through the Children’s Coordinating Committee, which represents all major Government departments and CSOs working on child rights and policy in the country. Together, they drafted the Child Protection Bill that includes protection against corporal punishment. POLITICIANS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS Israel: Minister of Education’s argumentation that Judaism doesn’t support corporal punishment led to reform Public officials can also influence and enrich national debates on banning corporal punishment. In 1993, the Minister of Education in Israel published an article entitled “Judaism and Child-Beating” which, based on various rabbinical interpretations of the Torah, argued that Judaism did not support corporal punishment and could even oppose it. Corporal punishment was finally prohibited in law in Israel in 2000. The interpretation of religion by different key public figures such as the Minister of Education played an essential role in the discussions leading to the achievement of the full elimination of the practice in the country. Mauritania: Religious leaders actively involved in ending corporal punishment Religious leaders in Mauritania had an active position in the campaign to ban corporal punishment. In particular, thanks to a “fatwa” (a ruling on a point in Islamic law) issued by them prohibiting physical and verbal violence against children in the home and in the educational system. The fatwa was the result of a 2009 study, conducted by the Religious Leaders’ Network for Child Rights in Mauritania, assessing whether corporal punishment was allowed under Islam. UNICEF collaborated with this Network in order to disseminate the study in a regional workshop. This partnership followed the recommendation of the UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children, which urged close collaboration with faith communities and religious leaders in the struggle to end violence against children. CHILDREN Mongolia: Children initiated the process of change with the release of a report and subsequent campaign In Mongolia, children’s participation was central in the advocacy to legislate against corporal punishment. Children were at the forefront of research, awareness-raising campaigns and other advocacy initiatives to eliminate this practice. The campaign for the legal change in Mongolia was initiated in 2006 with the release of a report produced with and by children in schools and institutions where they shared their experiences of being punished. The report had a significant impact on discussions, leading to the full ban of the practice in 2016. Peru: Children monitoring the implementation of the prohibition Children have also been at the forefront of monitoring the implementation of legislation prohibiting corporal punishment, as was the case in Peru. In 2017, the Ombudsperson together with CSOs, organised two workshops in Lima, with wide participation of children, to monitor progress since the ban of corporal punishment in 2015. As an outcome of the discussions, a document compiled testimony of children, including the settings where the practice of corporal punishment persists, and reflecting on progress, remaining challenges as well as suggestions to fully implement the law. TOOL: Positive Discipline and Alternatives to Corporal Punishment of Children 9/15