A/HRC/7/78 page 82 III. PROTECTING AND PROMOTING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD AND NON-DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN, INCLUDING CHILDREN IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS Non-discrimination 12. Calls upon all States to ensure that children are entitled to their civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights without discrimination of any kind; 13. Notes with concern the large number of children, particularly girls, belonging to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, migrant children, refugee children, internally displaced children and children of indigenous origin among the victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, stresses the need to incorporate special measures, in accordance with the principle of the best interests of the child and respect for his or her views, and the child’s gender-specific needs, in education programmes and programmes to combat these practices, and calls upon States to provide special support and ensure equal access to services for those children; Freedom from violence 14. Deeply concerned by the horrific scale and impact of all forms of violence against children, in all regions, in their homes and families, in schools, care and justice systems, workplaces and in communities, and urges States: (a) To take effective and appropriate legislative and other measures or, where they exist, strengthen legislation to prohibit and eliminate all forms of violence against children, in all settings; (b) To take all appropriate measures to prevent, and to protect children from, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and from all forms of violence as a matter of urgency, including physical, mental and sexual violence, child abuse and exploitation, domestic violence and neglect, and abuse by the police, other law enforcement authorities and employees and officials in detention centres or welfare institutions, including orphanages, giving priority to the gender dimension and to address its underlying causes through a systematic and comprehensive approach; (c) To take appropriate measures to assert the right of children to respect for their human dignity and physical integrity and to prohibit and eliminate any emotional or physical violence or any other humiliating or degrading treatment; (d) To take measures to eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools and to take urgent measures to protect students from violence of any kind, injury or abuse, including sexual abuse, intimidation or maltreatment in schools, to establish complaint mechanisms that are age-appropriate and accessible to children and to undertake thorough and prompt investigations of all acts of violence and discrimination; (e) To take measures to change attitudes that condone or normalize any form of violence against children, including cruel, inhuman or degrading forms of discipline, harmful traditional practices and all forms of sexual violence;