Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a special envoy on ending violence against children to help champion that issue and sustain high-level attention.

The FCDO is committed to protecting vulnerable children and helping them to grow up free from violence. Ending violence is a core strand of our International Women and Girls Strategy. Alicia Herbert OBE is the UK's Special Envoy for Gender Equality and her role includes championing an end to violence against women and children. Helen Grant OBE MP is the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Girls Education and her advocacy includes tackling violence as a barrier to education. We also continue to make leading contributions to the global evidence base through our What Works to Prevent Violence programme, including interventions to prevent violence against children.