A/HRC/19/64 during the General Assembly and the meeting of States Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Strategic cooperation was also promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in the community and minimize the impact of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce availability of and access to small arms. 86. At the special event convened in the lead-up to the General Assembly thematic debate on the rights of children with disabilities, the high risks of physical, emotional and sexual violence endured by these children were given special attention. The debate reaffirmed the following priorities: • All countries need to enact legislation banning all forms of violence against all children, including those with disabilities; • It is urgent to establish in all countries effective and well-resourced child and disability sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to prevent and address incidents of violence; • It is essential to invest in awareness and information to break the silence around violence against children with disabilities, and develop sound data system and research on child disability and the forms and prevalence of violence to safeguard children‘s enjoyment of their rights. 87. The periodic meetings of the IAWG have remained a crucial forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming of violence against children within the United Nations agenda, including in the consolidation of data and research to end the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and inform strategic advocacy, policy development and resource mobilization to prevent and eliminate this phenomenon. 88. The Special Representative‘s office participated in the 5th Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, in September 2011, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Conference presented new evidence on effective interventions to prevent interpersonal violence and promote increased collaboration across sectors and disciplines, including health, social protection and criminal justice. The results of the meeting will be an important resource for the upcoming expert consultation on better data and research on violence against children. 89. The Violence Prevention Alliance, in which the Special Representative participates, brings together a network of WHO member States, international agencies, academia and civil society organizations. Partners from all sectors (governmental, non-governmental and private) are united around a shared vision to address the root causes of violence and to improve services for victims.12 The Special Representative‘s participation in the Alliance opens avenues to significantly enhance the visibility of violence against children and contribute to relevant initiatives and publications. 90. The collaboration with human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms continued to feature highly on the Special Representative‘s agenda to capitalize on synergies across mandates and to mainstream concerns on violence against children in all relevant mandates. Periodic discussions and joint initiatives have been pursued with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, opening avenues to contribute to and build upon the Committee‘s concluding observations, thematic debates and general comments. Collaboration in the development of general comment No. 13 on the right to freedom from violence,13 and the 12 13 18 For more information, see http://www.who.int/violenceprevention/en/. CRC/C/GC/13.