A/HRC/28/34 the Child devoted much time to discussing violence against children in its dialogue with States parties. Prevention should be prioritized; the aim should be to move away from reporting what happens to reporting before it happens. Mr. Mezmur stressed that human rights education was central for effective prevention – when children were aware of their rights, they were empowered. Violence should be banned in all settings, using a child rights-based approach that protected both girls and boys, and should include not only physical violence, but psychological and social violence as well. The role of birth registration in protecting children could not be over-emphasized, and any registration system should reflect the reality on the ground, taking into account local geographical, cultural and political factors. Although civil society had an important role to play in preventing violence against children, States had the primary responsibility in this area. 16. Mr. Mezmur highlighted the connection between children’s rights and the business sector. Even though Africa was booming, economic development should not come at the expense of violence against children. Political will was the key to moving forward. States should take important steps, such as ratifying international instruments and making commitments to end conflict, but also smaller steps, such as cooperating with United Nations human rights treaty bodies and providing information when requested. 17. Fatiha Hadj Salah, a medical doctor from Algeria, stated that the decision to convene the panel discussion reflected the need to ensure that prevention and protection were priorities – children had an absolute right to freedom from violence, and if the right was not upheld, the consequences for the child’s health could be disastrous. Despite the progress made by those involved in protecting children in the United Nations system, detecting, assessing and caring for children who experience violence remained difficult. Nonetheless, the direct effects of ill-treatment could be detected by those in contact with children, including those working in health care, and social workers, teachers and police officers. They had privileged access to children and their families, and had a vital role to play in detecting, supporting and taking steps early on. Inter-sectoral cooperation was essential in order to identify risk factors, and multidisciplinary teams were needed to address violence against children fully. All persons working with children should be trained to detect illtreatment. Children with disabilities deserved special attention, given that they were particularly vulnerable. 18. Dr. Hadj Salah stated that health-care workers were often faced with situations where, while there was no certainty of ill-treatment, evidence was visible in what children said: children must be heeded. Risk factors should be identified within families, such as prior ill-treatment and emotional or psychological factors. More research in this area was however needed, and partnerships should be developed with national and international teams and with expert networks to conduct further investigation in to the causes of illtreatment. Awareness-raising was also crucial: children, families and the wider public should be aware that violence can be prevented. 19. Jorge Freyre, of the Latin American and Caribbean Movement for Children, stated that Latin America was the most violent region in the world, with children and adolescents suffering as a result. Members of the Movement for Children worked with States, civil society and groups of children, as well as with regional human rights bodies, to combat violence against children. Subregional mappings of the current legislative framework, policies, monitoring systems and practices at the national level had been undertaken, and best practices and successful cases have been highlighted. The events organized in each subregion had led to a declaration of commitments by States and a subregional roadmap and national roadmaps. 20. The Director of Children Protection, Save the Children – Liberia, Laila Khondkar, spoke about the lessons learned from the participation of children in the prevention of violence. The Convention on the Rights of the Child placed an obligation on States to 6