A/HRC/25/48 11. Data collection and analysis 95. The collection and analysis of reliable data on the sale and sexual exploitation of children remains a major challenge. The lack of reliable data reduces the visibility of the issue and the development of adequate responses and prevention. Data collection is made difficult by various factors. The phenomena involved are extremely hidden. The culture of silence that surrounds these crimes due to the fear of reprisals, cultural taboos, shame and a lack of confidence in the justice system results in high levels of under-reporting, which in turn exacerbates difficulties in collecting data. Furthermore, many States lack an integrated data collection system. Such systems require harmonized, quality indicators and the collection by various actors and parts of Government of data which is adequately disaggregated, regularly shared, centralized and disseminated. 96. During her visit to Estonia, the Special Rapporteur welcomed the information provided by the Ministry of Justice about an ongoing initiative to establish an electronic database to store information related to all cases that are referred to the justice system, including the type of crime, the age of the accused and the victim(s), gender and other elements. 97. Qualitative research on the drivers of the sale and sexual exploitation of children, risk factors, offender profiles and the effectiveness of responses is also critically lacking and requires additional attention in coming years. Child participation56 12. 98. Child participation is a key component of an effective child protection system and an overarching principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It therefore represents an obligation for States. It needs to be incorporated into all programmes and policies at all levels, from homes to governments. 99. In recent years, child participation has received increased attention. In 2009, the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted its general comment No. 12 on the right of the child to be heard. Since then, it has contributed much needed guidance on the issue and paved the way for the development of practical tools for implementing this right.57 Yet in practice, efforts need to be further strengthened in order to ensure that children’s voices are taken seriously. 100. In her report on child participation as a key element in preventing and combating the sale and sexual exploitation of children (A/67/291), the Special Rapporteur set forth a number of practical approaches that have yielded positive changes in ways of working with children as partners. These include: facilitating child-sensitive and appropriate information, taking into account the sensitive nature of the issues; involving children in creative arts, especially theatre; producing child-friendly media, including leaflets, booklets, posters, television and radio broadcasts; using child-friendly spaces and forums such as children’s associations, youth forums, children’s councils and parliaments, and blogs; fostering online participation, combined with online safety initiatives; and encouraging children’s participation in public policy development and monitoring, including research and data collection at the national, regional and international levels. The Special Rapporteur has insisted on the need to scale up and disseminate these practices. 56 57 See the report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on child participation as a key element in preventing and combating the sale and sexual exploitation of children (A/67/291). Gerison Lansdown, Every Child’s Right to be Heard: A resource guide on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 12 (UNICEF/ Save the Children, 2012). 19