January 1, 2001, the German Parliament banned corporal punishment for children. Judicial corporal punishment in Germany was abolished after the revolution of 1848. The article said this is because corporal punishment was a reminder of lower social status for those who recently became citizens. Children, of course, are not citizens until around age 18 or so. So they had fewer rights and protections, until finally adults got around to treating them as well as prisoners were treated.