A/HRC/42/40 others; the adoption of regressive legislation and measures in the area of truth, justice and reparations; and the proliferation of acts of reprisals towards relatives and civil society organizations, and their increasingly open and shameless nature, as if they were legitimate and normal. 93. More evidence of the current climate is the fact that it has become increasingly difficult for the Working Group to receive positive replies to its visit requests. Country visits are an integral part of the mandate fulfilled by the Working Group. Visits allow the Working Group to highlight country practices in addressing enforced disappearance, to assist States in reducing obstacles to the implementation of the Declaration and to ensure direct contact with the family members of victims. The Working Group thanks the Governments of Kyrgyzstan, Mali and Tajikistan for the invitations extended during the reporting period. It also recognizes the support provided by the Government of Ukraine during the visit carried out in June 2018. During the reporting period, the Working Group made requests to visit Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Nigeria. 94. For a number of years, the Working Group has been receiving information about increasing instances of abductions carried out by non-State actors, which may be tantamount to acts of enforced disappearances. In light of its humanitarian mandate and the fact that the victims of these acts do not have any remedy to address their plight, the Working Group has decided to document cases concerning enforced or involuntary disappearances allegedly perpetrated by non-State actors that exercise effective control and/or government-like functions over a territory. 95. The Working Group reiterates its previous call to be given a role in the followup to the findings of the commissions of inquiry and other fact-finding or investigative bodies created by the Human Rights Council insofar as they relate to enforced disappearances (A/HRC/33/51, para. 119, A/HRC/36/39, para. 120 and A/HRC/39/46, para. 150). 96. The Working Group continues the practice of holding one session each year outside Geneva, in part so as to facilitate interaction with the relatives of disappeared persons and raise awareness of the Working Group’s mandate and activities at the local and regional levels. It appreciates the invitation received from the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold a session during the reporting period. The Working Group invites other countries to follow this good example. 97. The Working Group welcomes the adoption by the Committee on Enforced Disappearances of the Guiding Principles for the Search for Disappeared Persons, at its sixteenth session, which will be an additional tool for the Working Group to fulfil its humanitarian mandate and cooperate with States in their implementation of the Declaration. 98. The Working Group once again calls upon States that have not signed and/or ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to do so as soon as possible and to accept the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive individual cases under article 31 and inter-State complaints under article 32 of the Convention. 21