A/67/230 services, well-trained professionals and a wide participatory process of public awareness-raising and social mobilization. C. Sound data and research 72. Good data and research are the bedrock of national planning, effective policymaking and adequate resource allocation to prevent violence and secure the protection of children. Despite incremental initiatives to break the invisibility of violence and mobilize action to address it, the global survey confirms that information on violence against children remains scarce and fragmented, with limited data available on the extent and impact of violence against children, the risk factors involved and the underlying attitudes and social norms that perpetuate such violence. As a result, there is a costly impact on child victims and witnesses, on their families, and on society as a whole. 73. While some Governments mention statistical information gathered by certain departments, including health, labour, judicial and law enforcement institutions, very few have periodic analytical reports on children’s exposure to violence. 74. Overall, there is lack of comprehensive and disaggregated data systems to inform strategic interventions in this area. Although 55 per cent of the Governments report collecting some data, those efforts are often not child-specific; over 10 per cent indicate no collection of relevant data and around 30 per cent provide no information on this section of the survey. 75. In most cases, information is obtained from broad categories, such as domestic violence, or limited to a few areas, such as crime, with limited disaggregation on the basis of gender, age, social origin or disability. 76. The coordination of data sources remains challenging, with multiple institutions gathering and handling dispersed information, based on different definitions and indicators. When a central institution is in place, the information is often collected from limited sources, or only addresses some manifestations of violence or settings within which it occurs. Moreover, there is seldom regular periodicity of data-gathering efforts. Likewise, there is often a lack of coordination between statistical bodies and institutions responsible for the design and implementation of policies to protect children from violence. As a result, it is difficult to gain a holistic view of the incidence and cumulative impact of violence on children, to address neglected areas or to enable the prevention of violence to have a genuine chance of succeeding. 77. Two other major gaps are identified by the responses: lack of resources; and lack of clear definitions and monitoring tools and indicators. These factors hamper the collection of timely, reliable and disaggregated data, the monitoring of progress, and the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and impact of interventions. 78. As noted by the above-mentioned regional reviews, investment in this area remains urgent and vital to support effective action. In this regard, the conclusions and recommendations of the expert consultation on data and research (see para. 24 above) are an important reference for future initiatives. 12-45164 19