Dear colleagues and friends,
In the framework of the preparation of the report to be submitted to the upcoming General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, Ms. Najat Maalla M'jid, would like to inform you that this report, which complements the previous report submitted last year to the GA (see attached document) will examine “how to effectively implement the recommendations formulated by the Special Rapporteur’s thematic focus since the beginning of the mandate ” .
This report will be conceived as a benchmark, a working tool elaborated on the basis of lessons learnt, providing a better understanding for better acting.
The Special Rapporteur would appreciate receiving , if possible before 11 July (with apologies for the tight deadline due to reasons beyond her control) , any input which would provide concrete examples, good practices and lessons learnt (with a geographic balance in the examples used) regarding to the issues below:
I. Normative and conceptual framework
- How to adopt clear definitions of Child, Sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography, ensuring a common understanding in order to (1) clarify overlaps with other thematic issues (trafficking, contemporary forms of slavery, violence …), (3) better identify child victims; (4) adopt a legal Framework criminalizing the offenders, protecting children and allowing reparation to children younger than 18 years?
II. Identification, care and assistance, follow-up of child victims
1. Identification of child victims
- How to identify child victims? Identification of child victim of sale (depending on purpose of sale), child victim of prostitution (including child sex tourism) and child victim of pornography (taking into account all forms of pornography, including child pornography on line , grooming etc...)
2. Care and assistance of child victims
- How to effectively ensure an easy access to comprehensive care and assistance to all child victims without discrimination (psychological, social, medical and legal support ) guaranteeing their best interest, safety, protection, recovery and reintegration ?
3. Follow-up of child victims
- Bearing in mind the several and serious consequences (impact different according to the age, nature and severity of the crime etc) on the mid and long term (e.g. impact of pictures appearing on web much later, psycho-social impact etc...), how to ensure an effective and ongoing follow -up on the child victims?
- How can the reparation mechanisms take into account this consequence?
III. Prevention
- Bearing in mind the multi-dimension and complex aspects of this phenomenon (root-causes, pull and push factors, children at risk etc...), how to effectively prevent that a child becomes a victim ( support, services, programmes and strategies in view to protect child at risk , to give adequate support to vulnerable families and communities, to raise awareness, ..) ?
- Regarding the large use of technologies of communications over the world, how to prevent early hyper-sexualisation, the reproduction by children of violent sexual behaviour etc?
- In view of the increasing sex industry, how to tackle the demand?
- In view of the increasing demand for adoption, how to prevent sale of children for illegal adoption?
IV. Child participation and empowerment of children
- How to ensure that the children are listened and their views and opinions taken into account in all matters affecting them (services, programmes, strategies, policies), due weight in accordance with the age and maturity?
- Bearing in mind that children are not only victims but also an integral part of the solution, how to empower them to ensure their own full protection and protection of their peers?
V. Monitoring
- How to expand and strengthen implementation of mechanisms for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, taking into account general comment No. 2 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, that ensures (1) protection of children, the restitution of their rights, (2) independent monitoring of the strategies and policies being implemented and (3) advocacy for the strengthening of legal frameworks and, where necessary,(4) that child victims have appropriate legal remedies, including the possibility of filing complaints?
VI. Corporate social responsibility
- With respect to corporate social responsibility, how to expand and encourage good initiatives, which would make it possible to incorporate child protection into the social responsibility policies of tourism, travel, transportation, agriculture, financial services, communications, media, Internet services, advertising and entertainment and other businesses?
VII. International and regional cooperation
- Bearing in mind that the sale and sexual exploitation of children transcend national boundaries, due, in particular, to the development of information technologies, trafficking networks, tourism and migration, how to ensure the implementation of effective mechanisms and/or processes that facilitate coordination and cooperation ( technical, logistical and financial) at the regional and international levels ?
We thank you in advance for your kind collaboration.
Best regards,
Bernadette Arditi,
Associate Human Rights Officer
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children,
child prostitution and child pornography
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Tel: ( 41 22) 917 9768
Fax: (41 22) 917 9011
www.ohchr.org
pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/2010 GA report_A_65_221.pdf
