A/HRC/16/54 68. Regular meetings have also been held with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its working group on children and violence to promote the mainstreaming of the United Nations study recommendations in the work of human rights bodies and mechanisms and to enhance understanding of the incidence of violence within specific settings, including in education, care and protection, and in justice institutions. 69. Collaboration with civil society organizations at the regional and national levels has also been significant. These organizations are indispensable supporters of awareness-raising and social mobilization in favour of children’s protection from violence. With the consolidation of existing networks, often involving representatives from community-based organizations and, at times, also child-led organizations, an increasing understanding has been gained on emerging and widespread forms of violence, as well as on socially accepted practices, and on ways of promoting their effective and lasting abandonment with the involvement of communities concerned. 70. Significant cooperation has been strengthened with Child Helpline International, including through the Special Representative’s participation in its international consultation, held in Madrid in October 2010. Present in more than 120 countries, child helplines play a critical role in children’s protection from violence, allowing children to speak to someone in confidence, directly and anonymously; they are often the first point of entry into the child protection system. Violence is the main reason why children contact helplines around the world. As a result, these institutions also constitute a crucial source of information on violence-related issues. Cooperation with young people 71. The participation of children in follow-up processes to the United Nations study is a core dimension of the Special Representative’s mandate. For this reason, regular meetings have been held with children and young people, including in the framework of regional initiatives and field missions. 72. Across regions, violence is a key concern for children. In some cases, this phenomenon was identified as their most critical concern.17 Children report widespread levels of violence, including neglect, ill-treatment and sexual abuse, within the school and in the home. They express fear and concern at the lack of information on what to do and where to go when violence takes place, and they feel deeply disappointed when their suffering and trauma are met with indifference and inaction. 73. At the same time, children show remarkable resilience, having become true agents of change. Through school debates and community events, radio programmes and street drama, cartoons, blogs and social media, they help to raise awareness among other children and their families about violence and its serious and long-lasting impact. They generate solidarity and support for child victims, and they instil the confidence necessary to report incidents of violence and to press for speedy and lasting solutions. 74. The strong commitment of and crucial role played by young people have been instrumental in reducing the invisibility of violence, mobilizing public attention and generating action and debate. Their voices and influence have been further consolidated through the development of national and regional networks of child-led organizations involved in advocacy for children’s protection from violence. As noted elsewhere in the 17 GE.11-11445 Such as in the Pan-American Child Congress, held in 2009 in Peru, and also in a crucial finding of a survey conducted by the European Union with young people (European Commission Flash Barometer 2009). 17