Raad van Europa laceert campagne tegen het slaan van kinderen

Zagreb, 15.06.2008 –
De Raad van Europa heeft een Europa-wijd initiatief tegen het fysiek straffen van kinderen gelanceert in Zagreb, Kroatië.

”Hef je hand op tegen slaan” is de slogan die wil zorgen dat  fysiek straffen van kinderen in heel Europa bij wet verboden wordt. Hiermee kan tevens positief ouderschap en de rechten van kinderen onder de aandacht gebracjt worden. Mensen moeten zich bewust worden dat als we een volwassene slaan we direct strafbaar zijn terwijl het slaan van kinderen normaal gevonden wordt in veel gezinnen en zelfs op scholen in sommige landen.

De lancering van de actie gebeurde in een poppentheater en in het bijzijn van ouders en kinderen.

Zie het officiele persbericht hieronder:

The Council of Europe launched a Europe-wide initiative against corporal punishment of children in Zagreb, Croatia on Sunday, 15 June.

The initiative, under the slogan ”Raise your hand against smacking” aims at achieving full prohibition of corporal punishment of children, promoting positive parenting and raising awareness of children’s rights throughout Europe.
”The European Convention on Human Rights is for everyone and there is no footnote in it which says that the human rights are for adults only,” said Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio at the launching ceremony.
”Abolishing corporal punishment against children is not a matter of opinion polls; it is a matter of vision and political leadership,” she continued.
”Why is it that if we hit an adult we are liable to prosecution, and if we hit a child nothing happens? It is up to the adult world to ensure that this changes,” she concluded.

Emphasising that Croatia was one of eighteen European countries that have abolished corporal punishment, Jadranka Kosor, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia and Minister of Family, Veterans’ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity said: ”It is not enough to have a legal ban on corporal punishment of children. It is equally important to challenge society’s perception of this problem and to change the mentality and attitudes of people: to move from smacking to positive parenting, nurturing and love.”

The event also provided a platform for the representatives of governments and international organisations, parliamentarians, local authorities, ombudspersons, NGOs, and child network professionals to discuss ways to eliminate corporal punishment of children.

The colourful and interactive launching ceremony was held at an exceptional venue – the Zagreb Puppet Theatre – and was also attended by young people and families with children who enjoyed the Magic Flute puppet show following the official ceremony.
Further information on this Council of Europe initiative is available at

http://www.coe.int/children