COLOMBO, June 24 -- Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya said protecting children must be treated as a national priority that cuts across development, governance and social justice policies, as Sri Lanka hosted a regional ministerial conference focused on ending violence against children.

The two-day South Asian Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) opened in Colombo on Tuesday (23), bringing together ministers, senior government officials, international organizations and development partners from across the region to strengthen cooperation and accelerate efforts to protect children from violence, abuse and exploitation.

The conference is jointly organized by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperati...