A/HRC/16/57 I. Background 1. In its resolution 7/13, the Human Rights Council requested the Special Rapporteur to submit a report on the implementation of her mandate to the Council in accordance with its annual programme of work. In its resolution 13/20, it requested the Special Rapporteur to present her report at its sixteenth session. The present report comes in response to that request and describes the activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur since her previous report to the Human Rights Council in September 2009 (A/HRC/12/23), which focused on child pornography on the Internet. 2. Moreover, in its resolution 13/20, the Human Rights Council invited the Special Rapporteur to submit a joint report with the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral on Violence against Children on effective and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to which children can safely report incidents of violence, including sexual violence and exploitation. The joint report is contained in document A/HRC/16/56. 3. As a result, the Special Rapporteur decided to concentrate her efforts on the preparation of the joint report, which involved broad consultations with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and with other stakeholders. 4. This report complements the joint report and focuses mainly on activities carried out during the past year, in particular country visits, conferences, seminars and consultations. II. Activities A. Country visits 5. Since her previous report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/12/23), in September 2009, the Special Rapporteur has undertaken visits to the following countries: the United Arab Emirates (12–18 October 2009), Senegal (21–30 October 2009), El Salvador (23–31 August 2010) and the United States of America (12–27 October 2010). The reports on those visits are presented as addenda to this report (A/HRC/16/57/Add.2-5). 6. Since her previous report to the Council, the Special Rapporteur has received positive replies from Egypt and Mauritius to her requests to make official visits. She has also been invited to visit the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The Special Rapporteur is yet to receive replies to her requests for invitations from the following countries: Canada, the Gambia, India, Nepal, Nicaragua and Nigeria. B. Conferences, seminars, consultations and the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures 7. Since September 2009, the Special Rapporteur has participated in several conferences, seminars and meetings, at which she frequently highlights the principles and provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Special Rapporteur describes the multiple and interdependent factors that lie behind these phenomena and urges the adoption of a multidimensional, comprehensive and coordinated approach in order to combat and prevent the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. She also insists on GE.10-17828 3