A/HRC/RES/25/6
Welcoming the attention paid by the special procedures of the Human Rights
Council to the rights of the child in the context of their respective mandates, in particular by
the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography,
and taking note with appreciation of the annual report of the Special Rapporteur to the
Human Rights Council,1 in which she provided an overview of the main issues relating to
her mandate,
Acknowledging the important contributions of the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General on Violence against Children and of the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to the promotion and protection of the
rights of the child, and taking note of their recent reports,2
Recalling the joint report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
on Violence against Children,3 in which they provided an overview of accessible and childsensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence,
and the joint report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General on Violence against Children on prevention of and response to
violence against children within the juvenile justice system,4
Recalling also the study by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples on access to justice in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous
peoples,5
Recalling further the relevant United Nations rules and guidelines for the treatment
of children in contact with the justice system, such as the United Nations Standard
Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules), the United
Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (the Havana Rules),
the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh
Guidelines), the Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System (the
Vienna Guidelines), the Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and
Witnesses of Crime, the Guidelines for the Appropriate Use and Conditions of Alternative
Care for Children, the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in
Criminal Justice Systems, the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners
and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) and the basic
principles on the use of restorative justice programmes in criminal matters, and taking note
of the guidance note of the Secretary-General on the approach of the United Nations to
justice for children of September 2008,
Stressing the importance of preventing violations of the rights of the child before
they occur,
Emphasizing that the right to access to justice for all, including obtaining a quick,
effective and fair response to protect rights, prevent or solve disputes and control abuse of
power through a transparent and efficient process in which mechanisms are available,
affordable and accountable, forms an important basis for strengthening the rule of law
through the administration of justice,
1
2
3
4
5
2
A/HRC/25/48.
A/HRC/25/46 and A/HRC/25/47.
A/HRC/16/56.
A/HRC/21/25.
A/HRC/24/50 and Corr.1.