A/HRC/37/60
I.
Introduction
1.
The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 7/13
and 34/16. It contains information on the activities of the Special Rapporteur on the sale and
sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other
child sexual abuse material since her previous report, which was presented to the Human
Rights Council in March 2017. It also contains a thematic study on surrogacy and sale of
children.
II. Activities
A.
Country visits
2.
The Special Rapporteur undertook a visit to the Dominican Republic from 8 to 15
May 2017.1 She also conducted a visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, from 8 to
16 November 2017.2 The report of the visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic will be
presented to the Human Rights Council at its fortieth session. The Special Rapporteur thanks
both Governments for their cooperation before and during the visit.
3.
The Government of Ireland has agreed to a visit of the Special Rapporteur from 14 to
21 May 2018, and the Government of Malaysia has accepted a visit from 24 September to 1
October 2018. The Special Rapporteur thanks both Governments for accepting the visits and
looks forward to a constructive dialogue in the preparation for both missions. She also invites
the Government of India to propose dates for a visit in 2019.
B.
Other activities
Conferences and engagement with stakeholders3
1.
4.
On 4 October 2017, the Special Rapporteur chaired a session on child sexual abuse
online, at the World Congress on Child Dignity in the Digital World, organized by the Centre
for Child Protection of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
5.
On 10 October 2017, the Special Rapporteur and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking
in persons, especially women and children, presented their joint report on vulnerabilities of
children to sale, trafficking, and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and
humanitarian crisis, to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session.4 On 11 October
2017, she participated in a panel discussion on preventing violence against children and
helping to focus efforts and track progress on the implementation of target 16.2 of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was organized by the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF), and by the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations and the
Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations, in New York.
2.
Communications
6.
Summaries of six communications sent by the Special Rapporteur during the reporting
period appear in the communications reports of special procedures.
1
2
3
4
2
See A/HRC/37/60/Add.1.
See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22416&LangID=E.
For activities of the Special Rapporteur between February and July 2017, see A/72/164.
See A/72/164.