The National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) hosted the 8th high-level cross-regional round table on “The Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Children or VAC in Thimphu today.
The three-day meet will provide a platform for strengthening regional commitments, progress and initiatives through sharing of knowledge and experience among the stakeholders: NCWC, RENEW, South Asia Coordinating Group on Accelerated Action to End Violence Against Children , Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretariat, UNICEF Bhutan, Youth Development Fund, and other relevant international agencies.
The meeting will focus on exploring and reinforcing existing works, and identifying strategies for accelerating progress in protecting children from all forms of violence. Delegates from UNICEF and other relevant organisations will also look into reviewing initiatives to engage local communities and religious leaders in eliminating child violence.
“We along with other partners in the world will actually assess progress or challenges, and find a way forward in terms of accelerating process to end violence against children across the globe,” said Dr Rinchen Chophel, Director General of South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC).
This is the first time NCWC is hosting the meeting. According to a survey conducted by the UNICEF, South Asia region has the 4th highest rate of deaths in children due to collective violence and only 60% of children under the age of 5 have their births registered.
Over the next two days, “Child Marriage” will be one of the key discussions at the meeting. Currently, almost one in three women aged between 20-24 years old were married as a child in South Asian countries.
The previous cross regional round table was held in Manila, Philippines.
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