A/71/206
Latin America and the Caribbean, the Special Representative organized with the
Government of Uruguay a regional consultation with children on bullying and
cyberbullying. Held in Montevideo in May, the consultation included young
participants from Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay and provided a
significant platform for young people to make recommendations for the report of
the Secretary-General on protecting children from bullying.
78. Children reflected on their perceptions and experience of bullying an d
cyberbullying, discussed its root causes and identified strategic measures for
prevention and response. They recognized the particular challenges faced at school,
in the school bus and online, while highlighting that bullying was often part of a
painful continuum of children’s exposure to violence, stating:
Listen to our voice: violence hurts and it lasts … Urgent action is needed to
stop it; violence does not teach good behaviour; being a good model and
promoting non-violence convey a good example for our lives; use dialogue
and mediation before you let violence occur! Help us learn about prevention
and our rights; help those who care for us so that they can help us better; and
don’t forget: legislation is important and everyone needs to know it and
respect it.
79. In East Asia, the Special Representative’s support for national implementation
efforts has contributed to significant results, including the recent enactment of
legislation to protect children from all forms of violence in the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, Mongolia and Viet Nam; the development of surveys to
capture the magnitude and incidence of violence against children in the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic and the Philippines; and the promotion of policy agendas on
violence against children in Indonesia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
80. At the twenty-seventh ASEAN Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur in November
2015, ASEAN member States adopted the Regional Plan of Action on the
Elimination of Violence against Children (2016-2025). The Plan builds upon the
2013 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Elimination of
Violence against Children in ASEAN, which was a landmark in the global effort to
establish a regional agenda on violence against children.
81. The Regional Plan of Action is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and provides a
powerful example of how regional cooperation can support national action on
ending violence against children and contribute to the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goal targets related to combating violence. The Plan
proposes concrete actions within a realistic time frame, including the promotion of
non-violent approaches to child discipline; the deinstitutionalization of children; the
protection of children from online abuse; the promotion of child-friendly justice
proceedings, prevention of deprivation of liberty of children and promotion of
alternatives to detention; and awareness-raising campaigns to break the invisibility
of violence and secure the protection of child victi ms.
82. Since the adoption of the Regional Plan of Action, the Special Representative
has been active in promoting its implementation in collaboration with the ASEAN
member States and secretariat and with the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion
and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. In February, in a joint meeting
held in Jakarta, the Commission expressed its commitment to the High Time to End
16/23
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