A/HRC/55/58 I. Introduction 1. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, is an independent global advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. In its resolution 76/147, the Assembly reaffirmed its support for the work of the Special Representative, recognizing the progress achieved and the role of her mandate in promoting further implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children 1 and in supporting Member States in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Assembly has also expressed appreciation for the leadership of the Special Representative in the follow-up to the United Nations global study on children deprived of liberty2 and has encouraged her to continue her work in that area. 2. In the present report, the Special Representative reviews actions she has taken at the global, regional and national levels to fulfil her mandate and provides an overview of the results achieved. She emphasizes that the need to prevent and respond effectively to violence against children is more urgent than ever. Ending violence against children cannot wait, as violence continues to rise and becomes ever more normalized. 3. The Special Representative identifies global challenges that are increasing children’s exposure and vulnerability to violence, with a focus on the protection of children on the move in times of crisis. She stresses in the report that with an unprecedented number of children being uprooted and displaced, the need to ensure the protection and well-being of all children on the move – independently of their status – is more pressing than ever. 4. The Special Representative invited Member States to inform the report by submitting information on initiatives related to the protection of children on the move and is very grateful for all the submissions received.3 The report has also benefited from contributions and inputs from a variety of partners, including members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Children, the United Nations task force on children deprived of liberty, civil society, and law enforcement agencies, and from children on the move themselves. The Special Representative is particularly grateful to the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti (UNICEF Innocenti) for its dedicated contribution capturing the voices of migrant and displaced children. II. Investment in child protection and well-being cannot wait A. Children are paying a high price 5. Children’s vulnerability to violence continues to be exacerbated worldwide by multiple and overlapping crises. With risks being magnified and responses failing to meet the scale of the challenge, the world is not on track to keep the promise made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to end all forms of violence against children. The world is also failing to uphold the principle that children must not be attacked and must always be protected. 6. The recent celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be a rallying call for the protection of the rights of all children, regardless of their status. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and all of its provisions should be upheld, with full determination to protect the rights and save the lives of millions of children worldwide who are at risk. 1 2 3 2 A/61/299. A/74/136. Submissions were received from Armenia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Slovenia and Türkiye. GE.23-25534