Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Dr. Najat Maalla M'jid, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
Mr Sanjay Wijesekera, Regional Director, UNICEF South Asia
Representatives of Ministries across South Asia
Partner Agencies, and Colleagues
Every child has the right to grow up free from fear, abuse, and exploitation.
Yet, across South Asia, millions of children face violence in their homes, schools, communities, and online spaces.
We know that this violates their fundamental rights—rights that we are bound, by law and conscience, to uphold.
But many do not know that it also leaves deep scars—physical, psychological, and social—that can last a lifetime.
South Asia is home to nearly two billion people.
Children make up a significant proportion of this population, and the scale of the challenge of violence against them is enormous.
So too must be our response.
Violence against children takes many forms: child marriage, corporal punishment, trafficking, child labour, online exploitation, and gender‑based violence.
What they share is this: each is preventable, and none is inevitable.
These forms of violence are not isolated incidents.
They are patterns of learned behaviours, deep rooted customs, and often sheer criminality—and we have the tools, the evidence, and the obligation to break them.
More than half of children in South Asia experience some form of violence before the age of 18.
Nearly 1 in 3 adolescent girls face physical or sexual violence. In some countries, child marriage affects over 40% of girls.
These are not just stark statistics. They are lives disrupted, dreams shattered, and futures foreclosed.
And the consequences reach far beyond childhood. They reverberate across lifetimes and generations.
Children exposed to violence are more likely to adopt harmful behaviours—smoking, harmful alcohol use, unsafe sexual practices—raising their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer later in life.
Trauma manifests as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and elevated suicide risk.
Survivors of violence are more likely to perpetuate cycles of abuse, transmitting trauma to the next generation.
Ending violence against children is not only about protection. It is about breaking a chain of ill‑health and poverty across generations.
We must act with fierce urgency.
I urge countries to commit to three priorities.
First: scale up WHO-UNICEF INSPIRE framework strategies. The evidence shows we can.
India has strengthened laws against child marriage, sexual violence against children, and corporal punishment.
Nepal has scaled up parenting programmes that reduce harsh discipline and promote nurturing care.
Sri Lanka has implemented school-based initiatives, reducing bullying and corporal punishment.
Bangladesh has expanded child helplines and community vigilance groups, improving reporting and response.
These are proof points. They must now become the norm—expanded across all countries, with multisectoral support and sustained funding.
Second: invest in prevention.
Parenting support, safe schools, and community programmes are the architecture of a violence-free childhood. They require a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
Third: strengthen monitoring. We cannot end what we cannot measure.
Robust data systems allow us to track progress, identify gaps, and hold ourselves—and each other—accountable.
Violence against children is not inevitable. It is preventable.
With SAARC’s solidarity, UNICEF’s expertise, and WHO’s evidence‑based guidance, we can build a South Asia where every child grows up safe, healthy, and hopeful.
The health of our children today will define the health of our nations tomorrow.
And tomorrow cannot wait. The time to act is now.
Thank you.