VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

That this House is aware the Government has yet to commit itself to ending the practice of the physical punishment of children in the UK despite its human right obligations and progress in other countries across the world; recalls that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called on the UK Government three times since 1995 to prohibit in law the physical punishment of minors, with further criticism likely later this year as part of its Periodic Review; notes that 31 states have already achieved prohibition of such punishments but that the UK remains one of only four EU countries that has failed to make some commitment in this regard; and calls on the Government to prioritise policy on this matter and in doing so deal with the noticeable absence of early years child protection in our nation.