A/HRC/4/31 page 6 with the law, children deprived of parental care and children suffering abuse. Finally, the Syrian Arab Republic announced plans to elaborate a national programme to combat child prostitution and pornography and requested the assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to this effect. 12. Initiatives taken over the year to fight child sex tourism also deserve to be highlighted, such as the one launched in June 2006 by Sri Lanka. A two-year action plan to stop commercial exploitation of children was signed by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This follows previous initiatives taken in the past in South-East Asia as well as in Japan, France and Kenya. B. Report on violence against children 13. The year 2006 was marked by the presentation of the report on violence against children (the Study). In 2003, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 57/190, the Secretary-General appointed an independent expert, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, to lead the Study and provide a global picture of violence against children and recommendations to prevent and respond to this issue. The Study was prepared through a participatory process that included regional, subregional and national consultations, expert thematic meeting, field visits and the collaboration of the Governments through a questionnaire. It also involved the cooperation of different United Nations bodies, such as OHCHR, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), civil societies and children. 14. It is the first comprehensive, global analysis conducted by the United Nations that deals with all the forms of violence against children in its different settings (in homes, schools and educational settings, care and justice systems, in work settings and in the community in general). Directly engaging children in the analysis, this Study combines at the same time human rights, public health and a child protection perspective. Before examining the settings in which violence against children occurs, the Study set a global framework of the issue. The problem is still mainly hidden, unreported or under-recorded and data generated by international and local initiatives show that the majority of violent acts are perpetrated by people who are part of their lives. The Study also analysed the risk and protective factors on the question and the range of short- and long-term repercussions of violence on children. 15. The core message of the Study is that no violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable. There can be no compromise. Therefore, Member States, all sectors of the society, and all individuals must commit themselves in ensuring protection from all forms of violence against children. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro addressed a number of overarching recommendations and specific ones relating to the different settings where violence occurs. Among the recommendations, the Study indicated that all States should strengthen national and local commitment, prohibit all violence against children, prioritize prevention, and promote non-violent values. 16. The Special Rapporteur would like to congratulate Mr. Pinheiro and his team for this outstanding Study. This first global report on the issue of violence against children will undoubtedly strengthen the efforts and progress already realized on the subject. With reference