A/HRC/4/72 page 4 Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, by decision 2/102 of 6 October 2006, requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfillment of her activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to update the relevant reports and studies”. On the current issue of abduction of children in Africa, a comprehensive annual report (E/CN.4/2006/65) was submitted to the 62nd session of the Commission on Human Rights pursuant to Commission resolution 2005/43. The information in the report remains relevant. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights understands decision 2/102 to preserve the previous annual reporting cycle in respect of this issue until otherwise decided by the Council. The current report to the Human Rights Council accordingly addresses developments in respect of abduction of children in Africa over the last year." 2. Paragraph 14 of resolution 2005/43 requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) - working with Member States, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other relevant United Nations agencies, international organizations and non-governmental organizations - to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the situation of the abduction of children in Africa. 3. Paragraphs 15 and 16 of the resolution urge States to submit information, progress reports and observations on the resolution’s implementation and also urges those States that have established mechanisms to combat the abduction of children to report on their progress to the Office of the High Commissioner. The resolution also requests that relevant international organizations submit reports on this issue. 4. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has received information from five Member States - Japan, Lebanon, Mauritius, Senegal and Venezuela - in response to the note verbale sent on 12 September 2005. 5. The report compiles information received from these five Member States and from the International Labour Office (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict (SRSG/CAAC), the Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights of internally displaced persons, and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. I. CONSULTATIONS AND APPROACH 6. Abduction violates many of the rights protected both by international humanitarian law and international human rights law; in particular those stated in major human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which all African States are parties, except Somalia; as well as its optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts and the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.1 The rights violated include, inter alia, the rights to life, to freedom from torture or other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, liberty, to an adequate standard of living, health, and the right to be protected from economic and social exploitation.