A/HRC/28/40 11. Hiranthi Wijemanne focused her intervention on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, noting that the protection of the family was of direct and particular importance to children’s rights. The preamble of that Convention stated that the family was the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of its members and, as such, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance. It did not refer to a single form of family, instead referencing a variety of different forms. The Convention clearly recognized children as rights-holders, which entailed the right of children not to be discriminated against on any grounds, including the type of family in which they grew up; the right to be heard; and the right to preserve their identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law without unlawful interference. 12. Ms. Wijemanne highlighted the fact that, while families could help promote and protect children’s rights, many faced significant hurdles, including economic crises, job loss, temporary employment, lack of regular income and deprivation of basic services. Owing to poverty and other factors, some children were separated from their parents. In that regard, she highlighted the obligations of States to provide families with protection and support to prevent separation. 13. She drew attention to the fact that families could be dangerous places for children, who could experience and/or witness physical and sexual violence, and harmful traditional practices such as child, early and/or forced marriage, so-called honour killings and female genital mutilation. In that context, she underscored the fact that article 19, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child obliged States parties to take all appropriate measures to protect children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, including sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment. 14. Karen Bogenschneider described her work organizing family impact seminars, including presentations, briefing papers and discussion sessions that communicated familyfocused, research-based information to policymakers on timely topics, including child and elder care, parenting, poverty and youth crime. In particular, the seminars encouraged policymakers to build consensus by focusing on the family’s well-being by asking questions such as: What might the impact of that policy be on families? Would the policy be more effective if families were involved? How does the policy affect individuals’ responsibilities towards other family members? How might it impact family stability? She concluded by suggesting three questions, based on her experiences, for the Human Rights Council to consider. First, could the Council emphasize those issues on which agreement and consensus were most likely to be reached? Secondly, if so, would that bring more countries to the table, and would there then be more potential for strengthening familycentred policies? Third, could the Council involve researchers to help identify which research-based family policies and programmes existed and the impact they might have on family well-being? 15. In her presentation, Rosa Inés Floriano Carrera emphasized the importance of taking care of the family unit in conflict and post-conflict situations, since it was usually the family that was most affected by forced migration, disappearances, forced recruitment by armed groups and, in some cases, by members of the same family fighting on different sides. Unless the response took into consideration that complexity, it might do more harm than good, and could bring about further family disintegration. She highlighted the need for both aggregate and disaggregated approaches that recognized individual needs, and suggested that the responses should focus on protecting the family and family links, and on creating a secure base environment. 16. Zitha Mokomane outlined some of the challenges families currently faced, and ways to help protect families. The challenges included poverty, the changing structures of families owing to migration, instability and/or dissolution, the breakdown of traditional family structures and non-marital childbearing, and family unfriendly workplace conditions 5