A/70/289 and it urgently needs to be brought to an end!” Across the regions, violence was highlighted as a priority and an area where urgent action is expected from world leaders. 22. That is also the message conveyed when the Special Representative meets children in her missions around the world. Children express deep frustration at the levels of neglect, abuse and fear surrounding their lives. Those affected by community violence see their days surrounded by fear of extortion and manipulation by violent gangs and criminal networks, fear of being stigmatized as a danger to society and fear of being criminalized by the police. 23. Children feel physically hurt, but their dignity and self-esteem are also deeply wounded. They call for security and justice. Security to gro w up with confidence, enjoying safety and protection from the risk of abuse, exploitation and reprisals; and justice to safeguard their rights, be treated with fairness and supported in their fight against impunity. 24. However, most children are left with no information about where to go and what to do when they are at risk of violence, or exposed to its serious manifestations, and legal or formal proceedings remain too complex for them to understand or feel empowered to use. Against all odds, that situat ion seldom compromises children’s courage and determination. Through school debates, radio and television programmes and street drama, and increasingly through social media, young people inform their peers and their families about the risks of violence and advocate for solutions to prevent it. 25. Children’s recommendations reveal remarkable resilience and a decisive determination to raise awareness, generate solidarity and support child victims in their recovery and reintegration and in obtaining redress. Listening to the views and experiences of young people is critical for seeing the hidden face of violence and, more importantly, for becoming better equipped to prevent it and monitoring progress and the impact of national efforts. III. Reinforcing regional processes to enhance the protection of children from violence 26. Regional organizations and institutions have been strategic allies in initiatives for the prevention and elimination of violence. The cooperation they have developed with the Special Representative has been instrumental in placing violence against children at the heart of the regional policy agenda, to accelerate progress, enhance the accountability of States and support national implementation efforts. 27. That in turn has led to strengthened regional commitments on the prevention of, and response to, violence and to the mainstreaming of persisting and emerging concerns in regional processes and initiatives. The inclusion in regional agendas of issues such as violence in early childhood, harmful practices, sexual violence, or the role of information and communications technologies in the fight against violence, are examples of successful cooperation. 15-13244 9/25