A/65/219 past several years, numerous parties to conflict in places such as Côte d’Ivoire, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the Sudan, Uganda and elsewhere, have begun to implement action plans that put in place measures to prevent child recruitment and to identify and release children already associated with their forces. As such practical action to address the issue of children associated with armed forces and groups has gained traction, credibility and momentum, the process is now under way to structure similar dialogue and action plans to address other violations, such as the killing and maiming of children and rape and other forms of sexual violence. For the children, this is where the promises of protection of the international community as expressed in international law and resolutions finally become tangible. As the primary duty bearers for the protection of children, Member States are encouraged to devise ways to enable child protection dialogue with State and non-state parties as necessary. C. Children and transitional justice 44. In his report on the rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and postconflict societies (S/2004/616), the Secretary-General defines transitional justice as the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society’s attempts to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation. These may include both judicial and non-judicial mechanisms, with differing levels of international involvement (or none at all) and individual prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking, institutional reform, vetting and dismissals, or a combination thereof. Given the deep impact of conflict on children, child protection actors have advocated for a comprehensive view of the involvement and participation of children in all aspects of transitional justice. To attempt transitional justice processes without involving children not only fails to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child — the most universally ratified international instrument — it also compromises the outcome of those processes. 45. The imperative of child participation in transitional justice has gained both credence and clarity in past years. The importance and potential of transitional justice for children is evident. At the same time, it is more widely recognized that their views and experience provide unique and critical contributions to these processes and to national reconciliation. 46. In 2002, the indictment for grave violations against children of all the individuals charged by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as the involvement of children in that country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, signified a shift that placed the issue of child participation centrally in the international discourse on justice and truth-seeking mechanisms. Since then there has been significant investment to create guidance and common perspectives on the basis of lessons learned and of best practices from Sierra Leone and elsewhere. 47. In this regard, the Innocenti Research Centre of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School convened a meeting of experts and practitioners in April 2009 to consult on new and emerging issues in the area of child rights and transitional justice. This forum led to the publication in March 2010 of Children and Transitional Justice: Truth-Telling, 12 10-47421