A/70/213 particularly negative consequences given their almost total reliance on family members for protection and support. 67. Violence and toxic stress can have a serious detrimental impact on children’s health. 46 Addressing violence has intergenerational benefits since children who have not experienced violence are less likely to act violently in childhood and as adults. 47 68. In 2011, the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted general comment No. 13 on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence, which highlights a wide range of measures that States parties must take to address violence against children. Endorsing the approach taken by the Committee in the general comment, the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize the importance of a zero tolerance approach to any form of violence against children. 69. Parents or other primary caregivers play a central role in promoting healthy child development and strongly influence children’s socialization. Early childhood development can be influenced by maternal nutrition, maternal mental and physical health, parental stress, depression and parenting styles. Although the role and rights of mothers are often — and rightly — given emphasis, the role and rights of fathers are also very important, 48 as are those of grandparents and other members of the extended family. 70. It should be noted that families take various forms and arrangements (see A/HRC/29/40) 49 and recognition of this diversity is crucial to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of all of children and all parents, including the right to health, without discrimination of any sort. 71. The Special Rapporteur endorses efforts made at all levels of decision-making and policy implementation that support families, as the family is where children can best thrive. However, he recalls that children are all too often exposed to mental, physical and sexual violence within families. 72. Bearing this in mind, the Special Rapporteur urges all stakeholders to continue to support families with a variety of mechanisms and services aimed at strengthening their resilience, encouraging competent parenting and developing skills to address the challenges of bringing up children in responsive and non -violent ways. To that end, States should adopt legal and policy measures to eliminate all forms of violence against children, including banning corporal punishment in all settings, and prevent the perpetuation of a cycle of violence within families, communities and societies while strengthening community-based family support services. 73. In this connection, it is of special importance that all stakeholders understand the harmful effects of institutional care in early childhood; it is a form of violence against young children. The Special Rapporteur therefore urges all stakeholders to continue to implement the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children (General Assembly resolution 64/142, annex) and to expedite the process of eliminating institutional care for children under 3 years of age. Furthermore, he calls for __________________ 46 47 48 49 16/25 Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 13 (2011), para. 15 (a). Ibid., para. 14; Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Independent Expert for the Secretary -General’s Study on Violence against Children, World Report on Violence against Children (Geneva, 2006), pp. 63-66. G. Barker, “Why men’s caregiving matters for young children: lessons from the Men Care campaign”, Early Childhood Matters, June 2015, pp. 51-53. See also Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No.7 (2006), para. 15. 15-12535