A/71/206 phenomenon, reinforce collective efforts to secure the protection of children and fight impunity. In addition, the Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse 3 were released to provide conceptual clarity to actions aimed at the protection of children, so as to overcome legal loopholes and address ill interpretations that may put their safety at risk. 7. The Special Representative continued to support important multi -stakeholder initiatives. The WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online is one such initiative that has secured high-level commitment from Governments, the information and communications technology industry, international organizations and civil society to tackling this issue by supporting comprehensive national action on prevention and response, to informing and empowering children and to fighting impunity, including through cross-border cooperation. 8. These illustrative examples show that the recommendations of the United Nations study remain as valid at present as they were 10 years ago, and their continuing potential to promote a quantum leap in global efforts to protect children from violence. 9. The urgency of this cause, however, has not diminished. As a recent study 4 has highlighted, over the past year at least 1 billion children between 2 and 17 years of age, or half of the world’s children, endured some form of violence. The true scale may be much larger, as so many incidents remain concealed and unreported. 10. Across nations, child trafficking continues to increase and in some regions more than 60 per cent of victims are children; children involved in exploitative work and slavery-like practices reach countless millions; in developing countries, one in every three girls is married before reaching age 18; and children below 15 years of age represent 8 per cent of victims of glo bal homicides. 11. In addition to domestic and community violence, conflicts affect millions of children and the world confronts the greatest wave of refugees since the Second World War. Children are particularly vulnerable to violence and exploitation in these desperate situations, facing turmoil and distress at every step of the way. Separation from their families, traumatic journeys through unfamiliar terrain, psychological manipulation, physical harassment, sexual abuse, extortion, trafficking or neglect outside transit centres or in transit with no clear destination constitute a daily life shrouded in fear and uncertainty. Violence is a constant risk, including for young people who pretend to be adults to avoid being detained on their journey, as well as for the thousands who fall into the hands of organized trafficking networks. 12. Online abuse and exploitation, bullying and cyberbullying are other top concerns for children around the world. Whether verbal, psychological or physical, either in schools or outside education facilities, bullying is often associated with discrimination against and stereotyping of children who are in vulnerable situations. In response to these concerns, the General Assembly, in its resolution 69/158, requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the topic. __________________ 3 4 16-12906 See http://luxembourgguidelines.org/english-version. Susan Hillis and others, “Global prevalence of past-year violence against children: a systematic review and minimum estimates”, Pediatrics, vol. 137, No. 3 (March 2016). Available from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/01/25/peds.2015 -4079. 3/23