ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews the status of violence against children (VAC) in the Asia Pacific region to track progress and highlights persistent causes and drivers that impede policies and interventions to eliminate this practice. It identifies some of the new patterns and trends in VAC in the region, and the urgent actions that are needed by governments, in terms of policy reform and institutional mechanisms and regulations. South Asia is faced with a situation where many forms of VAC are backed by traditional social norms even as newer forms are increasingly visible and growing. A major positive development in the region over the past decade has been the establishment of regional institutional mechanisms at an inter-governmental level to combat VAC. Increasing attention has focused on cyber-safety and online child protection given the rapid penetration of the internet and the easy access to mobile technology for children and young people in the Asia Pacific region.