The first ever, three-day regional meeting to fight violence against children has been opened by Pakistan's First Lady, Begum Sebha Pervez Musharraf, in Pakistani Islamabad on 19th May.

More than 165 people gathered to discuss issues affecting many children in the region and to do more to prevent physical and psychological harm to young people.

Together with the delegates from the UN and child care agencies, representatives from the governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Buthan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were expected to take part in the meeting, which is part of the global consultation for the UN Secretary General's Study on Violence against Children.

Everyday, millions of children are exploited, abused or victims of violence, and the Global Consultation calls for reports to focus on how children are affected by violence at home, family, schools, other institutions, works situations, community and on the streets.

The United Children's Fund (UNICEF), works with individuals, civic groups, governments and the private sector to help create protective environments for children. The organisation has stated its belief that everyone has responsibility to see that children are safe, healthy and well.

"This meeting is extremely important and comes at a time when there is more knowledge about abuses that used to go unseen. We all have to take up the challenge. We know many children in South Asia are extremely vulnerable and that a beaten child is a damaged child who may be killed, maimed or psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives," expressed Cecilia Lotse, UNICEF's regional director.

"Underlying so much of what is going on in South Asia is gender discrimination and inequality affecting children," she added.