A/HRC/13/46 contribution of children and young people to the process of follow-up to the study and for informing them about developments in this area. VI. Key developments and initiatives promoted 50. Framed by the priority agenda identified above, during the initial months of her mandate, between early September 2009 and the submission of the present report, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to: • Global advocacy initiatives to promote the further dissemination of the study and encourage follow-up to its recommendations at the international, regional and national levels • The consolidation of strategic partnerships, including through the Special Representative’s contribution to high-level meetings with key actors, and the strengthening of institutional collaboration with international and regional organizations • The adoption of measures for the establishment of her Office in support of her mandate 51. Recognizing the critical contribution of legislation to protecting children from all forms of violence, and benefiting from the special attention given to this topic during the commemorative events of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Special Representative placed a particular emphasis in her advocacy work on the adoption of a legal ban on all forms of violence against children. 52. Significant legal reforms have been introduced in recent years in different regions to prohibit violence against children. At present, some 25 countries have enacted laws to prohibit all forms of violence in all settings, and more than 20 others are working towards the same end. Several States have reinforced their legislation to address specific forms of violence, including violence in schools, trafficking and sexual exploitation, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage. 53. The legal prohibition of violence against children is important, as it conveys a clear message of political commitment to prevention work and the use of non-violent alternatives for conflict resolution. It constitutes a vital safeguard for child victims and witnesses, being a strong reference for capacity-building initiatives and the development of guidance and codes of conduct for professionals working with and for children. Law reform gains renewed value when used in support of public information and awareness-raising activities, and for promoting positive discipline, social mobilization and behaviour change. When harmful practices persist behind deeply entrenched traditions, legal reform has been particularly useful when promoted with the involvement of community and religious leaders, parliamentarians, professional associations, academic institutions and grass-roots organizations, and with the engagement of communities concerned. Bridging international standards, policy action and local values, and motivating change from within, legislation has been supported as the fruit of true conviction, gaining traction as a genuine deterrent with preventive effect. A. Address to the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly 54. In her address to the Third Committee at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the Special Representative reaffirmed the human rights foundation of the protection of children from all forms of violence, recalled the framework provided by the study and its recommendations for her mandate and presented the key priority areas for her GE.10-10640 13