A/HRC/19/64 2. Reporting of violence should be mandatory for all professionals working for and with children, including those in organisations and private entities performing tasks on behalf of the state. Where mandatory reporting already exists, the extent to which various agencies fulfil their reporting obligations should be examined and kept under regular review. 3. To encourage wider reporting by professionals, legislative changes can be introduced in order to: a. protect those who report or initiate complaints from liability in cases of reasonable mistakes in the assessment of the risk of violence; b. complaint; remove a requirement to obtain parents‘ or carers‘ permission to file a c. ensure that confidentiality norms do not hamper the reporting where the child consents, or is judged not to have the capacity to understand, and where professionals believe reporting or referring is in the child‘s best interests. 4. Children and their families should have access to information, including in a childfriendly format, on what acts and practices constitute violence, for instance bullying and mobbing in schools, and to whom and how these cases could be reported. A child should be able to file a report without the consent of her or his parent or guardian. 5. Every service, institution or facility responsible for the care, education and protection of children should have a well-publicised and easily accessible service, respectful of the child‘s privacy and be required to investigate allegations of violence promptly and fully. All children, including those in care in a legal establishment, as well as children with disabilities,vv their parents and carers should be informed of such complaint mechanisms. The procedure should allow for effective access to support services while avoiding any stigmatisation of the child victim. 6. An independent, confidential, well-advertised, easy to memorise, toll-free telephone help line should be made available for children to seek confidential and professional counselling and to report violence. 7. Emergency response services should be established in every locality for child victims of violence, including victims of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, harmful traditional practices and all forms of violence in the home and family. The services‘ contact details should be made known to children, families and others in contact with children. 6.5. Referral mechanisms 1. Procedures for the referral of child victims of violence and the modalities for interagency cooperation should be clearly defined (that is, between social services, education, health, police, prosecution authorities, voluntary and private agencies). Such procedures should be adopted following an assessment of the specific circumstances of each particular victim, giving due weight to her or his views and, when it is in the child‘s best interests, also to her or his parents‘ or guardian‘s views. 2. Children should be encouraged, including through the provision of independent advocacy and support services, to speak to the relevant authority about their experience of violence. vv Not only children with physical disabilities such as those with visual impairment, but also children with intellectual disabilities. For information on ―easy to read‖ format suitable for persons with mental handicap, see http://www.osmhi.org/?page=139 87