A/RES/48/136 Page 2 especially difficult circumstances, such as street children, deserve special attention, protection and assistance from their families and communities and as part of national efforts and international cooperation, Recognizing that all children have the right to health, shelter and education, to an adequate standard of living and to freedom from violence and harassment, Deeply concerned about the growing number of street children worldwide and the squalid conditions in which these children are often forced to live, Profoundly concerned that the killing of and violence against street children threatens the most fundamental right of all, the right to life, Alarmed at continuing serious offences of this nature against street children, Recognizing the responsibility of Governments to investigate all cases of offences against children and to punish offenders, Recognizing also that legislation per se is not enough to prevent violations of human rights, including those of street children, and that Governments should implement their laws and complement legislative measures with effective action, inter alia, in the fields of law enforcement and in the administration of justice, Welcoming the efforts made by some Governments to take effective action to address the question of street children, Welcoming also the publicity given to, and the increased awareness of, the plight of street children, and the achievements of non-governmental organizations in promoting the rights of these children and in providing practical assistance to improve their situation, and expressing its appreciation for their continued efforts, Welcoming further the valuable work of the United Nations Children’s Fund and its National Committees in reducing the suffering of street children, Noting with appreciation the important work carried out in this field by the United Nations, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, Bearing in mind the diverse causes of the emergence and marginalization of street children, including poverty, rural-to-urban migration, unemployment, broken families, intolerance and exploitation, and that such causes are often aggravated and their solution made more difficult by serious socio-economic difficulties, Bearing in mind that in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the World Conference on Human Rights urged all States, with the support of international cooperation, to address the acute problem of children in especially difficult circumstances and urged that national and international mechanisms and programmes should be strengthened for the defence and protection of children, including street children, /...