A/HRC/7/8
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have been allegations of killings for ritual purposes. Although formal reports of organ and
tissue trafficking were few, diverse unconfirmed rumours persisted. Therefore, there was a
need to report and investigate when these allegations appear and to ensure criminal sanctions
against the traffickers and all those involved as child abusers. The Special Rapporteur invited
all countries to establish legislation and standards so as to clearly regulate transplantation of
organs and tissues and reminded Governments of the different safeguards put in place by
different international and regional mechanisms, in order to avoid the development of
“transplant tourism”.
26. Concerning abducted and disappeared children, the Special Rapporteur invited all
member States to set up a coordinated, comprehensive, and global approach where different
State institutions as well as NGOs and private business would be involved, and he gave
examples of States that have already elaborated legislative and administrative measures and
programmes to tackle this issue. These rapid-response programmes are not only tools to respond
to the problem of abducted and missing children, but they also allow for considerable
improvement among the different organizations for prevention of violence against children. The
Special Rapporteur encouraged all countries to develop their own systems of quick response for
the search of disappeared or abducted children, using unified protocols for police intervention,
the help of civil society and a wide range of public awareness campaigns. As good practices, the
Special Rapporteur pointed out the activities of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited
Children of United States, and similar networks in Europe.
IV. ASSISTANCE AND REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES FOR CHILD
VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL COMMERCIAL
EXPLOITATION
27. Minors who are victims can be exposed to severe violence, rapes, compulsory prostitution,
forced labour and other forms of abuses and exploitation. Each victim, without exception,
requires urgent and adequate help for overcoming the consequences of psychological and
physical trauma.
28. The purpose of this report therefore is to provide comprehensive guidelines for the
establishment and management of rehabilitation and assistance programmes for minors who are
victims of sexual commercial exploitation and trafficking, taking into account examples
provided by Member States and positive initiatives developed by civil society and international
organizations in specific regions and countries.
29. Rehabilitation and assistance programmes may take many forms such as shelters, medical
and psychological assistance and may depend on many factors, such as availability of funding,
security concerns, availability of services, capacity and demand for these programmes and
facilities, etc. The shelters may house few or many persons, they may be in temporary locations,
and they may be situated in a variety of locations: houses, apartments, hotels, rooms in special
facilities (such as hospitals), churches. Shelters may be specialized for trafficked persons only or
may house other persons in need of similar assistance, such as victims of other crimes
(e.g., domestic violence). The word “shelter” is used to refer to a wider group of facilities
providing accommodation and assistance to victims of trafficking, such as medical rehabilitation
centres, transit shelters and halfway houses, unless otherwise specified.
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