A/HRC/16/56 than 250,000 incidents of violence and abuse amongst the 62 helplines contributing to its survey. Most reports concerned children aged 10-15 years old, in particular girls. Physical abuse and bullying are most reported on, followed by neglect, sexual abuse and emotional violence. 83. The authors of the present report recognize that while the primary responsibility for child protection lies with national Governments, child helplines represent a unique opportunity to support government action. These should be identified as a core component of comprehensive, robust and integrated national child protection systems, as a much needed resource for children, as a generator of data and information, and also as a referral system for children in need of advice and assistance. 7. Reaching the most vulnerable 84. An important area for partnership between civil society and governments concerns the provision of safe mechanisms for particularly vulnerable children, who are often hard to reach through government services. Marginalized children include those lacking parental care, those placed in institutional settings or in detention, those living and working in the streets, those with disabilities, those in extreme poverty, those trapped in child labour, or those on the move, including as migrants or asylum-seekers, as well as children in situations of armed conflict. 85. Incidents of violence, including sexual violence, are exacerbated in conflict situations by a general security vacuum and the lack of administrative, law-enforcement and judicial infrastructures, among other factors. As noted by the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, “sexual violence in conflict is a political, security and human rights issue that demands a political, security and human rights response”.55 86. Rape and other sexual violence against children are under scrutiny by the Security Council monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed conflict. According to reports of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, children are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in and around refugee and internally displaced population settings, and when associated with armed forces and groups.56 Girls remain the main victims of sexual violence in armed conflict, but there are increasing reports of sexual abuse against boys. Collecting data and reporting on sexual violence against children in armed conflict remains a significant challenge. As noted by the Special Representative: “these acts are considered in many contexts as strong taboos, and as such survivors and communities are not encouraged to speak out. The lack of trust in the judicial process and the fear of reprisals accentuate the culture of silence.”57 87. Children in extreme poverty may not only be hard to reach due to geographic remoteness or social exclusion, but also often suffer from a deep lack of self-esteem. Victims of bullying, humiliation and abuse, they feel powerless to speak up, and fear not being believed when reporting incidents of violence, or being blamed for having caused them in the first place. 88. Once in the streets, children become highly vulnerable to violence and exploitation. Many have run away due to psychological, physical or sexual abuse suffered in the home, while others have remained in contact with their families and work in the streets in order to supplement the family income. 55 56 57 18 General briefing to the Human Rights Council, on 10 February 2011. Available from www.stoprapenow.org/uploads/whatsnews/humanrightscouncilstatement.pdf. A/64/254 and A/65/219. A/65/219, para. 23.