E/2008/27 E/CN.6/2008/11 special session of the Assembly on children, entitled “A world fit for children”, including the provisions therein regarding violence against women and children, Reaffirms that hostage-taking, wherever and by whomever 1. committed, is an illegal act aimed at the destruction of human rights and is, under any circumstances, unjustifiable, including as a means to promote and protect human rights; Condemns all violent acts committed against the civilian population 2. as such, in violation of international humanitarian law in situations of armed conflict, and calls for an effective response to such acts, in particular the immediate release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, including by strengthening international cooperation in this field; Also condemns the consequences of hostage-taking, in particular 3. torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, murder, rape, slavery, and trafficking in women and children; Strongly urges all parties to armed conflicts to respect fully the 4. norms of international humanitarian law and to take all necessary measures for the protection of the civilian population as such, including measures to prevent and combat acts of hostage-taking, and to release immediately all women and children who have been taken hostage; Urges all parties to armed conflicts to provide safe, unimpeded 5. access to humanitarian assistance for those women and children, in accordance with international humanitarian law; Stresses both the need to put an end to impunity and the 6. responsibility of all States to prosecute or bring to justice in accordance with international law those responsible for war crimes, including hostage-taking; Emphasizes the importance of objective, responsible and impartial 7. information, including sex-disaggregated data, on hostages, verifiable by relevant international organizations, in facilitating their release, and calls for assistance to these organizations in this regard; Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, within the context of the 8. present resolution, the widest possible dissemination of relevant material, in particular material relating to Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), within existing resources; Also requests the Secretary-General and all relevant international 9. organizations to use their capabilities and undertake efforts to facilitate the immediate release of civilian women and children who have been taken hostage; 10. Invites the special rapporteurs with relevant mandates, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, to continue to address the issue of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts and its consequences; 08-29062 15