A/HRC/17/42 26. Some national NGOs active in this area try to document the phenomenon properly on the basis of complaints that are registered and confirmed by an inquiry3 and accompany victims to hospitals and the courts. Other organizations that have backing from the international community are less diligent, a situation that, unfortunately, leads to figures being circulated that are not confirmed by proper inquiry and the spread of alarmist stories based on unverified reports. 27. The Independent Expert recommends that a serious and credible study be carried out with a view to documenting the situation properly, verifying the disparate figures in circulation on the extent of the problem and providing a quantitative assessment of the phenomenon in order to ensure that it is better understood and to develop meaningful and measurable strategies. 28. All the representatives of organizations with whom the Independent Expert met agreed that one of the main problems was how the police and the justice system deal with complaints. Several organizations claim, for instance, that some police stations will not register complaints lodged by women. Similarly, complaints often produce no results, because no inquiries are held or the justice system fails to deal with them properly. Impunity seems to be the rule, which can only dissuade victims from lodging complaints and encourage perpetrators to commit further offences. 29. Lastly, the Independent Expert recalls that the Guidelines4 for Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings, compiled by the United Nations and other international organizations, have been publicized and that staff of the National Police, MINUSTAH and other international agencies have received appropriate training. The guidelines should be still more widely publicized, given that they contain many specific recommendations that apply to the situation in Haiti. C. Children 30. The attention of the Independent Expert has been drawn on several occasions to the situation of child victims of human trafficking in Haiti or abroad. In meetings with officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), he noted the excellent work done by or with the backing of UNICEF on documentation, identification, family reunification and on the provision of shelter, care and protection. An unresolved problem is that of the large number of illegal or undeclared children’s institutions, where families sometimes leave their children in the laudable hope of ensuring that they receive better care. However, the legal status of such centres is not verified and no assessment is made of the quality of care and accommodation provided or whether the institutions might be misused for commercial ends or trafficking. The Independent Expert recommends that steps be taken to exercise proper control with respect to illegal children’s centres and that measures be taken to close facilities that do not comply with the relevant legislation. 31. The Independent Expert recalls that adoptions should be carried out only when all the necessary guarantees are in place and they should not be treated as a humanitarian gesture. He welcomes the firm position expressed on several occasions by the Government of Haiti which has declared its intention to sign the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption, and urges the parliament to include a ratification bill in its work programme. 3 4 GE.11-12426 They include Rights and Democracy, Kay Fanm, Solidarité Fanm Ayisyen (SOFA) and the National Coordination Committee for Advocating Women’s Rights (CONAP). http://www.womenwarpeace.org/search/node/gbv%20guidelines. 7