Bangkok (People's Daily) - Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are committed to accelerating efforts to promote the rights of, and eliminate violence against, children and adolescents with disabilities.

The pledge came as part of the regional launch of the Global Campaign for the ‘Good Treatment of Girls, Boys and Adolescents with Disabilities in the World’ held in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Organized by the Special Envoy to the UN Secretary General on Disability and Accessibility María Soledad Cisternas Reyes and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the launch brought together policymakers, advocates and persons with disabilities to introduce 10 principles for the protection, well-being and development of children and adolescents with disabilities, who are at greater risk of experiencing violence.

Children with disabilities are up to four times more at risk of experiencing violence than their peers without disabilities, and in the Asia-Pacific region, around half of all children with disabilities do not transition from primary to secondary education. As a result, persons with disabilities are up to six times less likely to be employed.

In his opening remarks, Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP, said the launch provided a timely opportunity to advance regional efforts to enhance the rights for all persons with disabilities.

“This campaign is a critical part of our efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to do so in a way that is leaving no one behind,” said Zahedi. “In Asia and the Pacific, an estimated 690 million people live with one or more forms of disability. Children and adolescents with disabilities are more vulnerable to degrading treatment and more at risk of experiencing violence. Leaving no one behind means addressing their vulnerabilities. And we must act now.”