A/HRC/16/55 Child Bureau, SOS Children's Villages; World Vision International, International Federation Terre des Hommes, the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, War Child Holland; Child Helpline International and WAO Afrique (World Association for Orphans and Abandoned Children) focused on sexual abuses in schools. A third statement, delivered by World Vision International on behalf of the International Council of Women, ECPAT International, BICE, Plan International and SOS Children’s Villages International, was on sexual violence against children in the aftermath of natural disasters. The fourth statement, delivered by International Save the Children Alliance on behalf of the African Child Policy Forum, Defence for Children International, ECPAT International, BICE, the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages International, War Child Holland, OMCT and World Vision International, focused on sexual violence against children affected by armed conflict. 20. During the interactive dialogue, all speakers firmly condemned all forms of sexual violence against children. Sexual violence against children is a problem in all regions of the world affecting all areas of children’s lives. The fight against this phenomenon must be a matter of urgent priority in the international agenda, as emphasized by most speakers. There were calls on all States to strengthen their efforts and focus on the so-called root causes as well, particularly poverty, and not only the manifestations. A number of speakers expressed concern about the increase in child trafficking and the use of Internet for the sexual exploitation of children. Others emphasized the limited knowledge of the phenomenon of sexual violence, particularly in the context of the family, and the lack of data. It was noted that despite the almost universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights on the Child, the enjoyment of human rights for most children was still a problem and the adoption of relevant legislation was not always enough. Implementation of laws and policies to fight sexual violence and impunity was essential, as well as building awareness of this phenomenon. 21. A number of countries described national initiatives taken to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children. These include introducing legislation and policies against violence and to protect children; increasing sentences, including for sexual tourism and sexual exploitation; providing free telephone services to report cases of abuse; establishing social services close to marginalized areas, centres for children victims of abuse, community services and social reintegration programmes for victims of violence and exploitation. There were numerous calls on exchanging lessons learned in the fight of sexual violence against children. 22. Measures suggested to tackling sexual violence included: improving living standards; promoting international solidarity; including through increased international collaboration on programmes, strategies and research; changing attitudes to the problem and ensuring that both perpetrators and victims are provided with qualified professional help; strengthening mechanisms of prevention and denunciation. Some speakers mentioned that there was also a need for behavioural and social change in communities, and the root causes for the increase in sexual violence should be identified and addressed. Integrating a gender perspective in all efforts and paying attention to the most vulnerable groups, such as the girl child, children in conflict situation, displaced children, children involved in natural disasters, and children with disabilities was also emphasized. A number of countries mentioned the ongoing work on establishing an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights to the Child on a communications procedure. 23. Speakers from UNICEF and non-governmental organizations focused on the importance of participation and of empowerment of children in the fight against sexual violence. In particular, a child representative of Plan International, in a presentation 7