A/HRC/16/55 Many children were even criminalized for the sexual violence they had experienced, in addition to their irregular migration status. 15. She emphasized that children who moved tended to be categorized and labelled as trafficked, kidnapped, unaccompanied, separated, displaced, asylum-seeking, refugees, nomadic children or independent migrants. There is an absence of holistic and rights-based child protection mechanisms accessible to all children on the move irrespective of their status at the country of origin, during movement and at destination. She recommended that policy makers needed to, among other things, gain a better understanding of children's movements, listen to the voice of children, implement fully the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and strengthen legislation and policies to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. She also added that there is a need to understand the perpetrators’ behaviour and to promote social changes in attitudes and behaviours which condone and normalize sexual violence against girls and boys. 16. Finally, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Coomaraswamy, spoke about sexual violence against children in conflict situations. She said that sexual violence against children was one of the six grave violations that were committed against children during times of war. She mentioned that perpetrators use rape as a tactic or instrument of war, in order to terrorize target populations and to displace and humiliate them. Sexual violence may also take place because of the symbolic value attached to that violence, which was particularly true in ethnic and tribal wars, or because war often created a climate of impunity. However, if leaders have low tolerance for sexual violence, this can be in fact curtailed. 17. The Special Representative emphasized that, in fighting sexual violence in war time, the international community must not only address the issue of accountability but also the need to assist victims to recover from such violence, and reintegrate them into society. Services for survivors should include legal, medical and psychosocial assistance. That should be an important part of emergency aid in situations of conflict, and expressed hope that the new Special Representative on sexual violence would make this an important part of her mandate. She also recalled that in some situations of armed conflict there are cases of violence against boys, which need to be addressed as well. B. Plenary discussion 18. In the interactive dialogue following the panellists’ presentations, representatives of Uruguay (on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States), the European Union, Colombia, Cuba, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference), Sudan (on behalf of the Group of Arab States), Slovenia, Mexico, Jordan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Belarus, China, Indonesia, New Zealand (on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand), the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Slovakia, Uruguay, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Tunisia, the United States of America, Kenya, Norway, Syria, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Zambia and Tanzania made statements. The Advisory Council on Human Rights of Morocco also took the floor. 19. Non-governmental organizations delivered four joint statements: one on behalf of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT), Defence for Children International, End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT International), International Federation Terre des Hommes; International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE), Plan International, Child Rights Information Network (CRIN); the African Child Policy Forum, and the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, was dedicated to sexual violence against children in detention. A second statement on behalf of Plan International, Defence for Children International, International Catholic 6

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