Panama, Uganda, Sri Lanka and Czech Republic among those newly committing to totally prohibit violence against under-18s

Eight countries have made new pledges to ban corporal punishment, the most common form of violence against children, in a move that campaigners have labelled “a fundamental shift” for more than 100 million under-18s.

The governments of Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burundi, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic have said they will totally prohibit corporal punishment; while the Gambia and Nigeria have promised to end it in schools.