PRESS RELEASE:
BANGKOK, 25 March 2025 – UNICEF Thailand warmly welcomes the recent passage of an amendment to the Section 1567 of the Civil and Commercial Code, banning all types of violence, discipline, and corporal and psychological punishment of children. With this amendment, Thailand has become the 68th country in the world to have banned the use of all types of violent discipline or corporal punishment in schools, homes, residential care facilities, juvenile protection and training centres, and daycare centres.
This landmark legislation, which was announced in the Royal Gazette on 24 March 2025, marks a significant milestone in protecting children’s rights and promoting positive parenting practices in Thailand. The amendment aligns with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Thailand is a state party. The Convention emphasizes that a child’s best interests must be a primary consideration in all decisions affecting them.
In Thailand, the prevalence of violent discipline at home has decreased over the past decade. According to the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey conducted by the National Statistical Office and UNICEF in 2022, 54 per cent of children under 14 years old were subjected to physical and psychological punishment by household members – a decrease from 75 per cent in 2015. However, no child should be subjected to any form of violence, and this decision is a major step towards the day when violence against children is entirely eliminated.
UNICEF further urges the Government to increase support for parents and caregivers in adopting positive discipline practices. By providing resources and education on non-violent parenting, the Government can help put in place the conditions that will enable all children to grow up in safe, nurturing environments. International research indicates the laws banning corporal punishment and child abuse by guardians and parents work best when supplemented by efforts to educate parents to adopt non-violent methods of discipline.
UNICEF Thailand remains committed to working with the Government, civil society, and communities to end all forms of violence and abuse and promote the rights and well-being of all children. Though there is further to go, this is a bold step forward in protecting child rights in Thailand.
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