A/HRC/16/56 schools. In almost all country contributions to the present report, telephone helplines are identified as an important aspect of counselling for children. (b) Key lessons and persisting challenges 26. The analysis conducted for the present report highlighted important lessons which should inform work in this area: (a) Counselling is more effective when it is part of a broader approach that includes medical care, social assistance, legal services and financial or educational support. The support to be provided should be determined by a plan based on an assessment of the victim’s needs and circumstances, and implemented with close cooperation between service providers;9 (b) Counselling should be provided to the child and the family, as other members may also be victims; those who have not suffered violence in person may well suffer fear, guilt or anxiety. If the perpetrator of violence is a family member, he or she also should be offered therapy, at least until such time as the competent authorities may decide to take other action; although children have the right to be protected from all violence, whether or not protection requires removal of the offender from the home depends on the circumstances. Finally, the ultimate reason the family should be offered counselling is that “helping the family will often help the child”.10 (c) Ideally, counselling should be offered by qualified professionals;11 however, these are often scarce in many parts of the world. Specialized services for children are even scarcer, and often are lacking “in the vast majority of countries outside of Europe and the Americas”.12 27. Violence can have significant and life-long effects on the child’s mental health and development, and psychosocial support is critical for children’s recovery. As noted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims of violence should be promoted in an environment that fosters their health, self-respect and dignity (art. 39). 28. Psychosocial support should be provided by a “trusted, non-offending caregiver who takes the child’s situation seriously”.13 Counselling must not only be child-sensitive, but should also be “culturally sensitive” and take into account gender and factors such as disability and ethnicity.14 29. Information received for the present report reveals that counselling programmes for children still face significant challenges. In their submissions, Governments mentioned shortages of specialized personnel, lack of training and resources, and lack of cooperation between relevant agencies; and acknowledged that services are mainly provided to children and their families in urban areas. 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 WHO, Preventing Child Maltreatment: A Guide to Taking Action and Generating Evidence (2006), pp. 57-58. Ibid., p. 56. Ibid. World Psychiatric Association et al., Atlas of Child and Mental Health Resources (Geneva, WHO, 2005), p. 17. WHO, Preventing Child Maltreatment, pp. 55-56. Ibid., pp. 56 and 67.