Physical punishment
Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth
What is the Joint Statement?
The Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth was developed by a national coalition of organizations facilitated by CHEO. Based on an extensive review of research, the Joint Statement provides an overview of the developmental outcomes associated with the use of physical punishment.
The evidence is clear and compelling — physical punishment of children and youth plays no useful role in their upbringing and poses only risks to their development. The conclusion is equally compelling — parents should be strongly encouraged to develop alternative and positive approaches to discipline.
The pre-publication electronic edition of the Joint Statement was endorsed by 138 Canadian organizations concerned with the well-being of children and youth and, by invitation, a number of distinguished Canadians. These endorsers were acknowledged in the first printed edition of the Joint Statement launched at CHEO on September 29, 2004. At this update of the webpage, 708 organizations and several more distinguished Canadians are acknowledged for their endorsements. They are listed in the PDF below.
Every endorsement of the Joint Statement carries information to more Canadians about the adverse lifespan consequences for children and the societal harm associated with physical punishment.
Endorsements continue to be received and are most welcome.
The Joint Statement is now in its fourth printing. Research published since 2004, when the first edition of the Joint Statement was published, consistently reinforces and extends the findings of the research summarized up to that time. The findings of ongoing research are summarized in the annual Physical Punishment Updates and the publications by Durrant and Ensom below.
The Joint Statement receives national and international recognition
In 2006, the Joint Statement initiative received the Ted Freedman Innovation in Education Award. This prestigious international award recognizes individuals and organizations that inspire, advocate and enable education in health care. In 2012, Joan Durrant and Ron Ensom, co-authors of the Joint Statement, were honoured for their work on the issue of physical punishment of children with the Health Promotion & Innovation Award of Excellence (presented by the Canadian Institute of Child Health) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (nominated by UNICEF Canada).
Some distinguished Canadians who have endorsed the Joint Statement
- developmental psychologist and professor, Cape Breton University;
- Co-founder and Executive Director, Cape Breton University Children's Rights Centre.
- Academic Director, Centre for Research on Violence Against Women & Children, University of Western Ontario;
- Founding Director, Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System/London Family Court Clinic.
- Executive Director, David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights;
- Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law;
- former counsel at Justice for Children and Youth;
- recipient of the Law Society of Ontario Medal and the University of Toronto Chancellor’s Distinguished Leader Award.
- Emeritus Professor in Criminology, University of Ottawa;
- author, consultant and speaker;
- internationally recognized for his contributions to victims’ rights, collaborative policing and effective prevention of violence across the world;
- his life work is the use of public health strategies to influence the policy changes needed to support victims and stop street, school and intimate partner violence before it happens;
- he has served on national commissions in Canada, South Africa (Mandela years), UK and USA;
- he has learnt from his involvement with UN Habitat, UNODC and WHO.
How to access the Joint Statement and its supporting documents
You may view and download the documents in the list below. You are welcome to circulate the documents as they are written (in hard copy or electronically), to link with this CHEO webpage, or to quote the Joint Statement with appropriate acknowledgment. Commercial distribution of the documents on this webpage is not permitted. Inquiries and endorsements may be directed as follows: email to the Joint Statement; or by regular mail to CHEO, Partnerships and Advocacy, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1.
- Joint Statement: The full first edition of the document.
- Executive Summary: (updated March 5, 2013) A synopsis of the Joint Statement.
- Poster: (updated July 1, 2023) Summary of the key findings, conclusion, key recommendations, endorsements and impact of the Joint Statement.
Some organizations you will see in the Names of Endorsers
- Arctic Children and Youth Foundation
- Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse; Quebec
- Community Safety and Crime Prevention Council of the Waterloo Region; Ontario
- Family Enrichment & Counselling Services; Fredericton, New Brunswick
There have been 708 endorsements to date.
- Names of Endorsers: (updated June 1, 2025) The names of organizations and distinguished Canadians that have endorsed the Joint Statement to date.
- Note to Potential Endorsers: (updated June 19, 2018) Describes the background of the initiative and the endorsement process.
- Confirmation of Endorsement Form: (updated June 19, 2018) Can be completed, or a brief letter written, and forwarded to us to convey your organization's endorsement of the Joint Statement.
- Backgrounders: (updated March 2, 2023) Brief discussion papers on the implications of research findings on physical punishment of children for the education, sports/recreation, mental health, and business communities.
- Fact Sheet: (updated January 1, 2023) Key facts about physical punishment of children. (203 KB Adobe Acrobat® PDF file)
- Physical Punishment Updates: (updated August, 2021) Periodic updates sent to endorsers on Canadian and international developments regarding physical punishment of children.
- Physical Punishment and Children's Health: An article written by Joan Durrant and Ron Ensom by invitation of IMPrint, published by Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMP).
- Physical Punishment of Children: Lessons from 20 Years of Research: Durrant J, Ensom R: Physical punishment of children: lessons from 20 years of research. CMAJ 2012; 184:1373-77 posted with permission of the Publisher, CMAJ. © 2012 Canadian Medical Association.
- Twenty-Five Years of Physical Punishment Research: What Have We Learned?: Durrant J, Ensom R: Twenty-Five Years of Physical Punishment Research: What Have We Learned? J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2017; 28(1):20-24 posted with permission of the Publisher, JKACAP. © Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Too Much Harm, Too Little Action: (updated February 4, 2021), J. Durrant, R. Ensom, P. Dudding, D. Stuart, op-ed on physical punishment of children, January 4, 2021, The Hill Times, Canada’s Parliamentary newspaper. (545 KB Adobe Acrobat® PDF file)
- Why Section 43 of the Criminal Code Must be Repealed: (1.4 MB Adobe Acrobat® PDF file)
The two private members’ bills to repeal section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada have died by prorogation. (38 KB Adobe Acrobat® PDF file)- Physical Punishment of Children in Sport and Recreation and Physical Punishment of Children in Sport and Recreation: The Times They Are A-Changin': Two articles written by Ron Ensom and Joan Durrant by invitation of Coaches PLAN du coach, published by Coaches of Canada.
- An Eriksonian Perspective on Physical Punishment and Its Impacts on Mental Health: Durrant J, Ensom R: An Eriksonian Perspective on Physical Punishment and Its Impacts on Mental Health. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child 2020; 73(1):30–45 posted with permission of the Publisher, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group. (1.1 MB Adobe Acrobat® PDF file)
- Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting: (updated August 2021) A guide written by Dr. Joan Durrant that describes how parents can effectively teach their children while respecting their human rights. The guide may be viewed and downloaded for free from this PDF.
- Two studies by Dr. Joan Durrant et al. that explore the impact of Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting on parents’ attitudes toward physical punishment are available here:
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