A/HRC/28/30 in Nigeria, there was concern that children were being given too many rights. With the help of regional organizations, however, a provision on the responsibilities of children was included to address such issues as peer-to-peer violence. The panellist underscored the necessity of government budgeting for prevention work. Regional organizations had helped Governments address this issue in Africa; in South Africa, for example, social workers were not only provided for by law, but also had a budget line. As an example of a good practice, he referred to the process and activities surrounding 16 June, the Day of the African Child, addressing harmful practices. Quiet diplomacy had also proved an effective tool in the African region. 20. Noting the vital role of national human rights institutions in a strong national human rights prevention system, the moderator invited the Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Sima Samar, to share examples of the preventive work conducted by her organization. Ms. Samar provided four recommendations for action based on challenges that the Commission had faced. Firstly, lack of education and of awareness of rights was the greatest obstacle to the enjoyment of all human rights by all persons. The Commission strove to counter this situation by including human rights education in all sectors of the education system, including training and teaching curricula for schools, teachers, police, judges, intelligence services and other civil servants. The second action recommended was human rights monitoring. The Commission monitored detention centres and prisons, hospitals and schools and camps for internally displaced persons and refugees. It also monitored the situation of economic, social and cultural rights, and issued assessment reports. It also worked in the area of transitional justice as a prevention tool. Thirdly, it was important to consider existing laws in each country. The Commission participated in legal reform and publicly criticized human rights violations, working with civil society and the media for advocacy purposes. It also pushed for the inclusion of human rights in legislation. Fourthly, on the issue of protection and promotion, the panellist emphasized the importance of providing practical protection to people in danger, promoting good governance and working on transitional justice to end the culture of impunity. 21. The moderator requested the panelist to explain what has worked best at the national level in the prevention of violence against women in Afghanistan. The panellist reiterated her view that lack of awareness of human rights was the largest obstacle. Her organization promoted the universality of human rights, and emphasized that culture and religion could not take priority over these rights. The organization had also conducted research on issues that were considered taboo in the country, such as rape and honour killings. This was the first time that data had been collected on these problems, which made it possible to draw attention to them as crimes that the State had to address. Another goal of the Commission’s work was to include women in different sectors of society, such as security forces, for example, by striving to assure a environment that meets women’s needs, thus making it possible for them to train and become police officers. Lastly, the Commission had worked with the media, the United Nations and civil society to advocate for the inclusion of women’s rights in national legislation. Once this has been achieved, the next challenge will be to ensure that the law is implemented. 22. Recalling that the concept of prevention in relation to torture was more developed than those of preventing other human rights violations, the moderator asked the SecretaryGeneral of the Association for the Prevention of Torture, Mark Thomson, to explain this concept and how it could be applied to other areas. Mr. Thomson highlighted two key elements for the prevention of torture. The first was direct prevention (or mitigation of violations) by reducing risk factors and possible causes. Direct prevention was forwardlooking and was aimed at creating an environment where torture was unlikely to occur. The second was indirect prevention (or non-repetition), which was the prevention of the repetition of cases that have already occurred by means of denunciation, litigation, 7