A/HRC/23/25 of the Council, such as the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the Working Group on discrimination against women in law and practice contributes to the overall thematic and country-focused work of the Council and other intergovernmental processes. A. Human Rights Council resolutions 6. From March 2009 to September 2012, the Human Rights Council held 12 regular sessions and adopted 312 resolutions on a wide range of issues. In addition to its annual resolutions on accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls,3 the issue of violence against women was also mentioned in resolutions on: preventable maternal mortality and morbidity;4 the fight against sexual violence against children;5 elimination of discrimination against women;6 trafficking in persons, especially women and children;7 migration and the human rights of the child8 and human rights and transitional justice.9 The resolutions called upon States to protect all human rights of trafficked women and children, in particular unaccompanied migrant children, and to ensure that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration. The Council also reiterated its concern at the large number of women and children trafficked within and between regions and States and called upon States to take action on violations committed against trafficked persons. In resolution 21/15 regarding human rights and transitional justice, the Council strongly condemned violence against women and girls committed in conflict and post-conflict situations and called for effective measures of accountability and redress where those acts amounted to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. 7. The issue was also addressed in the resolution extending the following thematic mandates: the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences;10 the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children;11 and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. 12 In renewing these mandates, the Council called on the mandate holders to adopt a comprehensive and universal approach to the issues at stake, including attention to the causes of violence against women related to the civil, cultural, economic, political and social spheres. The Special Rapporteur on slavery was requested “to take account of the gender and age dimensions of contemporary forms of slavery.” 13 8. The Council has established seven new thematic mandates since 2009, including the working group on discrimination against women in law and practice. 14 While the issue of violence against women and girls was not explicitly mentioned in any of the seven resolutions establishing the mandates, six mandates were requested to integrate a gender 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 4 A/HRC/RES/20/12; A/HRC/RES/17/11, A/HRC/RES/14/12 and A/HRC/RES/11/2. At the fifteenth session (A/HRC/RES/15/17) and at the 21st session (A/HRC/RES/21/6). A/HRC/RES/21/15. A/HRC/RES/15/23. A/HRC/RES/20/1; A/HRC/RES/17/1; A/HRC/RES/14/2; and A/HRC/RES/11/3. A/HRC/RES/12/6. A/HRC/RES/21/15. A/HRC/RES/16/7. A/HRC/RES/17/1. A/HRC/RES/15/2. A/HRC/RES/15/2, para. 5(b). A/HRC/RES/15/23.