A/HRC/31/58 3. Rehabilitation programmes 70. There have been several initiatives developed to rehabilitate preferential offenders. The need for such programmes is confirmed by the risk of recidivism. Cognitive behavioural therapy is the most widely used treatment as it aims to change offenders’ behaviour and enable them to control their urges.70 There have also been treatments based on drugs and measures such as surgical castration. It should be emphasized that the latter is non-human rights compliant, as it can amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, particularly when there is no consent from the offender. Studies on the effectiveness of the different rehabilitation treatment programmes in reducing recidivism rates of sex offenders are inconsistent. Therefore, there is a need for further comprehensive and evidence-based research, particularly on the exact profile of child sex offenders.71 71. Complementary solutions, such as community-based support for sexual offenders once they have been released from prison, have also been developed. This is the case of the Circles of Support and Accountability, which are based on a group of four to six volunteers who act as a support network for socially isolated sex offenders in the community. A review of the programme demonstrated that offenders who had attended had a lower reoffending rate.72 Another treatment that has been developed is the Good Lives Model of Offender Rehabilitation, which focuses on helping sex offenders to attain their life goals in a way that will not harm others.73 72. Of interest are the Standards of Care for the Treatment of Adult Sex Offenders, which were adopted by the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders. They underline, inter alia, the importance of appropriately trained and competent professionals for the care of sex offenders and recall that it is fundamental to ensure that any rehabilitation of offenders is undertaken in accordance with human rights principles. 4. Role of the private sector 73. There have been several positive initiatives taken by different branches of the private sector, as has been regularly underlined in previous thematic reports. 74 Of particular relevance are the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, and the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. The former has focused on training staff in the tourism sector, with 125,890 persons trained worldwide in 2013. 75 The emphasis placed on raising awareness of the criminal nature of the sexual exploitation of children and thus reaching potential offenders is particularly crucial. Furthermore, trained staff get to understand their reporting obligations and the prohibition from facilitating the sexual exploitation of children. The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights should also be used as a benchmark by the private sector in its entirety as they complement those initiatives. 74. Individual offenders and criminal networks use financial services to either pay for the sexual exploitation of children or transfer the proceeds from such crimes. This has 70 71 72 73 74 75 18 Pamela Yates, “Treatment of Sexual Offenders: Research, Best Practices, and Emerging Models”, International Journal Of Behavioral Consultation And Therapy, vol. 8 (July 2013), p. 90. United States Department of Justice, “Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative”, pp. 137-140. United Kingdom Home Office, “Review of the protection of children from sex offenders”, 2007, p. 14. Pamela Yates, “Treatment of Sexual Offenders”, p. 92. See A/HRC/22/54, paras. 76-81, and A/HRC/28/56, paras. 75-81. See www.thecode.org/annual-report-2013/.