On the 21st and 22nd of January, 2026, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child held evaluation sessions in Geneva to assess Spain’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been in force in the country since 1991. Among the various issues raised with the Spanish delegation, the Committee expressed concern about the fact that children and adolescents are allowed to participate and to be present in hunting activities involving the use of firearms.
The matter was raised following the Committee’s receipt of a thematic report submitted by the Coordinadora por la Prevención de Abusos (CoPPA), which warns of the risk of physical or psychological harm to children and adolescents who are exposed to or participate in hunting activities involving firearms. The report includes an annex documenting numerous cases of hunting accidents involving firearms in Spain, as well as incidents in which minors were witnesses to, or even responsible for, the death of other persons — including that of a child who accidentally killed his father.
The complaint submitted by CoPPA marks the first time this issue has been brought before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The documentation indicates that hunting activities involving firearms combine multiple risk factors, including children’s and adolescents’ exposure to the inherent violence of the activity, as well as risks arising from access to firearms and proximity to gunfire. Occurring together, these factors increase the likelihood of physical injuries and psychological harm, with potentially long-lasting—or even tragic—consequences.
CoPPA's report documents that, in Spain, the current legal framework allows minors to use firearms for hunting from the age of 14. It further notes that several autonomous communities permit—and in some cases even encourage—the presence of children of any age (from birth in five communities) to attend hunts as “companions.” This situation is incompatible with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The document, prepared by a multidisciplinary team, presents scientific evidence on the dangers of facilitating children’s and adolescents’ access to firearms, including an elevated risk of adolescent suicide. It further highlights the risks to minors present in contexts where hunting with firearms occurs, including accidental injuries, accidental deaths, and the psychological consequences of early exposure to violence, as well as the trauma associated with witnessing gruesome accidents in such settings. CoPPA also emphasizes that the presence of family members or adult supervisors in these environments not only fails to mitigate many of these risks but can, in some cases, even exacerbate them.
During the public session held on 22 January, members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed their concern over the normalization of violence and the risks posed by exposing minors to hunting with firearms, highlighting its incompatibility with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Although the Committee has previously issued observations regarding the participation and use of firearms by children and adolescents in armed conflict contexts, this is the first time it has addressed the inappropriateness of involving children and adolescents in hunting activities.
The Committee stated that there is indisputable scientific evidence regarding the detrimental effects of exposing children to violence against animals and noted that this matter is clearly addressed in its General Comment No. 26. In the same vein, it directly asked the Spanish Government whether it is considering prohibiting the involvement of minors in hunts where firearms are used:
“There is indisputable scientific evidence that associates the normalization of violence and the exposure of children to violence against animals (...) I would like to know whether Spain is willing to include a prohibition on the access, participation, and presence of children and adolescents in hunting activities that involve firearms.”
The Committee further underscored this concern by describing children’s participation in hunting activities as “a danger to children” and a direct threat to the best interests of the child. In its intervention, it requested specific information from Spain and suggested the need for legal reforms:
“We would like to know, firstly, whether you have data on how many children have participated in these hunting activities, and secondly, whether Spain intends to amend such an important law in order to protect children from this danger, as it constitutes a threat to the best interests of the child and to children’s health.”
With these formal questions, the Committee frames children’s participation in and access to firearms in hunting activities as a human rights issue that Spain, as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child — an international treaty that is legally binding — is obliged to address.
CoPPA regards this intervention as a significant step toward prompting Spain to review its legislation and adopt effective measures to ensure the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents from all forms of violence.
Media coverage:
21 Noticias: La ONU exige explicaciones a España por permitir que menores utilicen armas de fuego en la caza.
Tercera Información: El Comité de los Derechos del Niño pide explicaciones a España por permitir el acceso de menores de edad a la caza con armas de fuego.
Información: Un organismo de la ONU pide explicaciones a España sobre la presencia de niños en actividades de caza.
Super Deporte: Un organismo de la ONU pide explicaciones a España sobre la presencia de niños en actividades de caza
Manresa Decideix: La ONU y la caza: un llamado a proteger a la infancia en España.
La voz de Galicia: La ONU reprende de nuevo a España por permitir la participación de menores en espectáculos taurinos y caza.
