A/HRC/52/61 Greece, Iceland, Jamaica, Morocco, Romania, Spain and Viet Nam. She also undertook a follow-up in-person visit to Lebanon and an online visit to the Philippines.11 21. The crisis facing refugee and migrant children, including the situation of unaccompanied children who have fled the armed conflict in Ukraine and other ongoing complex crises around the world, was an area of engagement with multiple partners in countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Romania, Spain and Sweden, as well as with representatives of Ukraine. The Special Representative highlighted the urgent need to establish specific mechanisms for unaccompanied children in Greece and a rapid protective response in Romania. Support for law reforms and the development and launch of national strategies to end violence against children constituted one area of her active engagement during these visits. In Spain, for example, a pioneering comprehensive legal framework adopted in 2021 has led to a cascade of policy interventions and decisions which are expected to result in the establishment of a robust package for protection. Similarly, the Special Representative supported Côte d’Ivoire in the validation of the national strategy for the protection of children and adolescents in street situations. The implementation of the national integrated child protection policy was discussed during her visit to Morocco. 22. Progress on ending child institutionalization and the need to shift to family-type care were areas of engagement during the visits to Côte d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Morocco, Romania and Viet Nam. Discussions in these areas included the need for a robust, coordinated and well-trained social workforce combining cash, protection and care services as well as alternatives to institutionalization. 23. Another key area of engagement with Members States has been the evidence-based case for investment in child- and gender-sensitive cross-sectoral violence prevention and protection services for children and their caregivers. In Iceland, there are encouraging efforts to implement legislation and policies to support the prosperity of children, underpinned by analysis of the high returns on investment in cross-sectoral violence prevention and protection services. All the countries visited expressed interest in support for the prioritization of investment in cross-sectoral child- and gender-sensitive protection and violence prevention to generate substantially higher returns. 24. The interlinkages between gender-based violence and violence against children encompassed cross-cutting issues and actions across a number of visits, including the critical importance of ending domestic violence, female genital mutilation and child marriage, as well as promoting gender equality and empowerment. 25. The Special Representative is alarmed by the effects and impact of violence, the COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian crises on children’s mental health and well-being, an issue that requires critical attention in all Member States. During her meetings with diverse groups of children across all regions, one of the main concerns raised has been the serious challenges to their mental well-being faced by children, along with the difficulties they face in speaking about these issues and accessing appropriate services. The Special Representative welcomes and is deeply grateful for the interest, engagement and support of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden with respect to this critical matter. While the Special Representative acknowledges the increase in action to address mental health and psychosocial support for children across all regions, she is deeply concerned by the fact that these services are still not being scaled up to cover the increasing demand and to ensure that no child is left behind. Regional engagement 26. The Special Representative continues to strengthen her collaboration with regional and subregional mechanisms on the interlinkages between achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ending all forms of violence against children. 11 6 The Special Representative also visited Dakhla, Western Sahara, on 22 November 2022. Her visit should not be interpreted as expressing any political view concerning the present or future status of Western Sahara. GE.22-29128