A/HRC/31/20 shared evidence and good practices and renewed their commitment to end child marriage and other harmful practices in Africa. 35. The Special Representative will further enhance her collaboration with the African Union, the Special Rapporteur of the African Union on Ending Child Marriage and other partners with a view to the swift implementation of the Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Common African Position on Ending Child Marriage in Africa. 36. This is an area where much has already been achieved. In Malawi, for example, the parliament adopted in 2015 the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill, which raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 years of age. The social mobilization around this process and the important partnership developed with traditional leaders helped to raise awareness of the new law and achieve important results, including a landmark initiative led by a female traditional chief that led to the annulment of 330 child marriages in a single district. 37. In East Asia, the twenty-seventh ASEAN Summit, held in November 2015, adopted the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Elimination of Violence against Children. The Plan of Action opens avenues for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by ASEAN member States, especially target 16.2 and other violence-related targets. It aims at promoting the implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Elimination of Violence against Children in the ASEAN region; recognizes the human dignity and worth of each child and proposes concrete actions to address the manifestations of violence against children, including emerging concerns such as those associated with the use of new technologies; and places special emphasis on data and research to inform national actions and promotes sharing and mutual learning between ASEAN member States. 38. The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children will conduct an annual review of implementation of the Plan of Action based on reporting by member States. The first five years will focus on priority areas, including the promotion of non-violent approaches to child discipline, the deinstitutionalization of children, the protection of children from online abuse, the prevention of deprivation of liberty and the promotion of alternatives to judicial proceedings for children in contact with the law as well as targeted campaigns to raise awareness among policymakers and the general public in support of the elimination of violence against children. 39. In the Asia and Pacific region, the President of Fiji hosted the first region-wide conference on ending violence against children, with the participation of senior government officials, community and faith-based organizations and child protection experts from 15 Pacific island countries. Welcoming the support of the Special Representative, the participants reviewed strategies and programmes to prevent and respond to violence against children, including good practices in service delivery and increased resource allocation and the establishment of family courts and networks for referral and response across the health, education and social welfare sectors. They called for strengthened laws and policies and committed themselves to promoting violence-free families and societies for children in the participating countries. 40. The South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children3 spearheaded the Regional Action Plan to End Child Marriage in South Asia (2015-2018) and the Kathmandu Call for Action to End Child Marriage in South Asia to accelerate progress in ending this practice, including through the urgent review of relevant legislation to determine its compatibility with human rights standards; the establishment of a minimum 3 See www.saievac.org. 9