“The Regional Consultation is a global initiative mandated by the UN General Assembly in 2001. It is intended to assert the rights of children to protection from all forms of violence as well as to draw attention to the scale and nature of violence, especially in its less visible forms. It also seeks to motivate States to fulfil their obligations towards the protection of children while making commitments to prevent violence and to intervene in their recovery. ‘Refugee and returnee children experience the same kind of violence that their peers face,’ says Joan Allison, UNHCR’s Senior Regional Advisor for Refugee Women and Children. ‘However, they may be more vulnerable because other than looking and sounding different, they are often excluded from global and national initiatives geared towards the protection of children. This is why we have ensured their participation here.’ ” – Publisher’s description
