A/HRC/7/8 page 10 30. During recent years, the Special Rapporteur has received numerous requests for advice and was shown several examples of assistance and rehabilitation programmes designed for children who are victims of trafficking and sexual commercial exploitation. In some instances, these rehabilitation programmes included a specific shelter and a full range of specialized facilities, in others, other types of ad hoc rehabilitation programmes, sometimes designed for children victims of domestic abuse and violence is the only assistance available. The Special Rapporteur therefore finds it important to examine in his annual report different examples set up in some countries and to provide guidelines and options so as to better assist children victims of trafficking and sexual commercial exploitation, taking into consideration that their best interest should always remain the primary consideration. Hopefully, these examples and guidelines will enable to provide better assistance and protection for child victims and enable them to recover their lives with the least traumatism possible. 31. An extensive questionnaire was thus developed on the issue of assistance and rehabilitation programmes for child victims of sexual commercial exploitation and sent to all Member States and to selected intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations working on issues related to children’s rights and trafficking issues on 9 July 2007. Responses were requested to be received by 30 September 2007 and in order to accommodate the Human Rights Council’s reporting requirements, only the replies received by 20 October 2007 at the latest were considered in the report. Beyond the very short deadlines for the preparation of his reports, the Special Rapporteur, as always, welcomes the replies that he continues to receive. 32. The questionnaire covered a number of queries on the subject. First of all, the Special Rapporteur wished to know about activities, programmes and facilities run by the public sector as well as by the civil society (non-governmental organizations, private individuals) and other private actors designed with a specific focus to children and minors who are victims of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking. Then, when such specific activities did exist, the Special Rapporteur asked details about the legal basis for these programmes, how they were financed, how they operated, if these were specifically for children/minors who are victims of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking or also encompassed children victims of domestic violence. The Special Rapporteur then focused on the activities that were carried out and the objectives and the methodologies applied, and on therapeutic activities being implemented. Questions were also asked about how children and minors joined these programmes and how the facilities and the authorities referred or placed them. 33. The Special Rapporteur then inquired about daily life for children and minors organized under these programmes, measures being implemented to ensure security of the participants and beneficiaries and if the children/minors maintained contact with their families throughout the programme. The questionnaire then focused on specific initiatives that were being implemented in these programmes in order for the child victim to overcome post-traumatic stress and related syndromes after the situation experienced and activities accomplished in order to ensure successful reintegration of the participants and beneficiaries of these programmes. 34. Finally, when there were no such activities, programmes and facilities, the Special Rapporteur wanted to know why, and what other type of assistance was available for children and minors victims of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking.