A/HRC/22/55 (a) A strong national normative framework is vital to prevent and respond to violence, protect child victims and witnesses, ensure their recovery, reintegration and redress, and fight impunity; (b) Law reform needs to be pursued through a comprehensive review of national legislation to ensure conformity with international human rights standards and overcome dispersed action; it requires the introduction of an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence in all settings, supplemented by detailed provisions in relevant pieces of legislation to tackle distinct manifestations of violence and the various contexts within which violence may occur; national legislation needs to be periodically reviewed and evaluated to address gaps and emerging concerns; (c) Law enactment needs to be upheld by an effective process of implementation and the allocation of sound resources; implementation initiatives should be conducted by well-coordinated institutions and services, and supported by a plan of implementation, as well as an estimation of costs and an anticipated allocation of resources; (d) Information and social mobilization campaigns, together with capacitybuilding of professionals working with and for children, remain vital to generate a culture of non-violence, overcome social norms condoning violence, encourage positive attitudes and behaviour towards children and widen the ownership of children’s protection from violence. Advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns on legal provisions and their effective use, combined with strong alliances with strategic partners, including parliamentarians, national independent institutions, religious and local leaders, grass-root organizations and children themselves, constitute crucial dimensions of this process. 22. Law reform for children’s protection from violence is an area where visible progress has been made, with a clear increase in the number of countries with an overall legal ban on all forms of violence, at times in the national Constitution itself. However, as mentioned below, it is also an area where further efforts remain strongly needed. 2. Protection of children from harmful practices in plural legal systems 23. Around the world, countless numbers of girls and boys fall victim to harmful practices. Often violent in nature, these practices compromise the development and education of the child, have serious and long-lasting health and psychological consequences, and may result in disability or death. At the same time, positive experiences have led to the successful abandonment of these practices and a lasting commitment by concerned communities to prevent their occurrence and safeguard the protection of children’s rights. 24. In order to reflect on these questions and identify opportunities for change, in 2012 the Special Representative and the non-governmental organization Plan International cohosted an international expert consultation (see A/67/230, paras. 17–20), in close cooperation with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, OHCHR and the International NGO Council on Violence against Children. 25. The consultation identified critical challenges, including the lack of legislation prohibiting harmful practices, inconsistencies in regulations, selective and ill-resourced implementation and compliance, social acceptance of these practices within communities, prejudices among personnel and weak capacity to address children’s rights among law enforcement officials, the judiciary, traditional leaders and judges in customary and religious courts. 6