Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that protection of children is necessary for the well being of the society. Speaking at the 4th Ministerial meeting of South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children, SAIEVAC in New Delhi today, Mr Singh said, there is a need to give due respect to the voices of the children and learn to work with them. He said, SAARC region is home to the world's largest population of children and SAIEVAC is an affirmation of a regional resolve to achieve safety and security of the children. <br/><br/>He said, there is a need to care for the children and it needs to do it with conscious collective efforts and responsibilities. He said, SAARC acknowledged the importance and value of children 30 years ago when it placed them on its official summit agenda. Mr Singh said, the Sustainable Development Goal Summit has specific targets for the realization of child rights and protecting them from all forms of violence. <br/><br/>He said, there is a need to develop a regional strategy that defines clear milestones towards the realization of SDGS. The biggest challenge is to identify and track children and their families who are vulnerable and reach out to them. He said, child trafficking is another major challenge for all and new threats like sex tourism and child pornography are emerging. Mr Singh informed that the Government rescued thousands of children and restored them to their families or provided protective environment to them through Operation Smile.