A/HRC/16/56 significant information.4 The NGO Advisory Council for follow-up to the United Nations study, the Danish Refugee Council and Plan International also provided valuable information to the report; (d) Voices of young people were essential, including as derived from studies and surveys and children’s recommendations, and from the experience of the authors of the present report through their work and meetings held with young people. 8. Only a selection of the wealth of experiences and initiatives on which information was received is outlined in the present report. D. Conceptual and normative framework 1. Conceptual framework 9. The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as a person under the age of 18. The Convention recognizes children’s freedom from violence in several of its provisions,5 especially in article 19 on freedom from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child. 10. The term “counselling” covers: the provision of information and advice to empower children and support others acting on children’s behalf regarding all courses of action required to prevent or respond to incidents of violence; legal counselling; and psychological or psychosocial counselling, that is, therapeutic interventions designed to prevent, mitigate or repair the mental, moral and social damage caused by violence, including to help address feelings of fear, guilt, shame and confusion children may experience. 11. Information and advice provided to children should be conveyed in a manner adapted to their age, maturity and circumstances, in language children can understand and which is gender- and culture-sensitive, and supported by child-friendly materials and information services. 12. There is no sharp conceptual distinction between complaints and reports. Complaints result from the failure to prevent violence and ensure the effective protection of victims. In the present report, the term “complaint” is used to refer to communications about violence made by victims or those acting on their behalf to some competent authority in the expectation of receiving protection, assistance or redress, including the investigation of incidents of violence and the imposition of sanctions against those found responsible. The term “reporting” is used here to refer to communications on incidents of violence made to the competent authorities by someone, be it a child or an adult, other than the victim. 13. The struggle to protect children from violence requires a holistic approach, involving: awareness-raising, prevention, law enactment and enforcement, and sound data and research; the protection, treatment, recovery and social reintegration of child victims; and the investigation and punishment of perpetrators. Although the present report is focused on counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, some brief comments on their links to other components of children’s freedom from violence are needed. 4 5 Replies were received from 40 country offices in all regions. Arts. 19, 28, para. 2, and 37. 5