A/HRC/10/21 page 18 homeless, etc. The Gendarmerie has also set up special child centres including special child protection experts in order to deal with the proceedings against juvenile offenders within its jurisdiction. Finally, concerning foreigners who do not have the financial means or necessary documents in order to leave the country, the Government reported that they are accommodated in special guest houses until their return and that the Government of Turkey will bear the travel costs if they cannot be afforded by the foreigner, his relatives or the relevant consulate or embassy. 3. Future country missions 39. The Working Group has been informed by the Secretariat that, when extending the Group’s mandate, the Human Rights Council provided for two country visits per year, each visit not to exceed eight working days. Three visits of the Working Group have already been accepted for 2009 and it conducted three visits in 2004, two in 2005, four in 2006, three in 2007 and four in 2008. In order to be able to verify the implementation of its recommendations, the Working Group should also be in a position to undertake follow-up visits. 40. The Working Group considers follow-up visits as an essential element of its mandate, the only means to assess and monitor in situ the situation of personal liberty in various countries. Furthermore, the Working Group believes that it should conduct further country visits, as they are of great importance to victims of arbitrary detention. The usefulness of most of the forthcoming visits of the Working Group might be hampered by a limitation to 10 calendar days. The abolishment of a number of country mandates further adds to the necessity of answering calls from the victims of human rights violations by the thematic mandates. 41. The Working Group calls on the Human Rights Council to take into account the fact that the Working Group comprises five members. In order to best make use of its potential and enable it to discharge its mandate more effectively, the Working Group would request the Human Rights Council to provide it with additional funds to be able to conduct at least five country visits per year and its relevant follow-up visits within an appropriate time frame. III. THEMATIC CONSIDERATIONS A. Rights of persons deprived of their liberty 42. It is estimated that many of the 9 million people who are currently imprisoned worldwide suffer from violations of their human rights. Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes that “all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”, but reality looks different in some parts of the world. 43. Since its establishment, the Working Group, entrusted with the investigation of instances of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily, has visited prisons and detention centres during 30 country missions, where it has conducted interviews with detained and imprisoned persons. It