A/70/289 those children to access effective child protection mechanisms, seek redress and combat impunity. That only deepens the fear that prevents many victims from reporting violence and increases their lack of confidence in the justice system. 62. To address those pressing concerns, in July 2015 the Special Representative organized, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Government of Honduras, an international expert consultation in Tegucigalpa. The consultation brought together experts on children’s rights, violence prevention and arms control from United Nations agencies, national Governments, independent institutions for children’s rights, civil society, religious leaders, academia, the corporate sector and children and young people. The meeting provided important insights to inform the Special Representative’s forthcoming report on the protection of children from armed violence in the community. The following are some key highlights. A. Factors contributing to armed violence in the community 63. Many factors underlie violence in the community, including poverty, discrimination, social exclusion, lack of access to social services, deficiencies in governance and the presence of organized crime. That pattern is aggravated by drug and alcohol abuse, easy access to arms, unregulated urban growth and the participation of young people in illicit markets. 64. Investment in prevention rests on two pillars: the general understanding of how those factors function and a specific knowledge of how they manifes t themselves in each community. 12 Harmful consumption of drugs and alcohol 65. The consumption of alcohol and drugs can affect cognitive and physical function, mental health, self-control and the ability to assess risks. Impulsivity may increase, putting consumers at higher risk of resorting to violence in confrontations. An impaired ability to recognize warning signs in potentially dangerous situations can make them easy targets for perpetrators of violence. Experiencing or witnessing violence can lead to the harmful use of alcohol as a way of coping or self-medicating. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study in 2014, 34.1 per cent of adolescents (15-19 years old) drink alcohol; in the Americas and Europe the numbers rise to 52 per cent and 69.5 per cent respectively. 13 Another WHO report in 2006 indicated that alcohol was a contributor to 26 per cent of the years of life lost to homicide among males and 16 per cent for females. 14 66. Patterns of drug and alcohol use vary by country, depending on cultural norms and government regulations. The problem is aggravated when drugs, alcohol and violence become part of the ritual culture of youth gangs. According to studies in the United States of America, alcohol is a basic component of gang culture and is closely linked to violence. Quarrels among gang members routinely arise after consuming alcohol; they drink before fights to strengthen their confidence and __________________ 12 13 14 16/25 See Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience (Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2008). World Health Organization, Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (Geneva, 2014). World Health Organization, “Youth violence and alcohol” (Geneva, 2006). 15-13244