Human Rights Council

Sixt y-first session

23 February–31 March 2026

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Councilon 30 March 2026

6 1 / 8. Mandate of Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 7/13 of 27 March 2008, 34/16 of 24 March 2017, 43/22 of 22 June 2020 and 52/26 of 4 April 2023, and all relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights, in particular Commission resolution 1990/68 of 7 March 1990, and Economic and Social Council decision 2004/285 of 22 July 2004,

Emphasizing that the Convention on the Rights of the Child constitutes the international legal foundation for the respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights of the child, bearing in mind the importance of the Optional Protocols to the Convention,including the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and calling for their universal ratification and effective implementation,

Deeply concerned about the persistence of the sale and the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, in particular of girls, both online and offline, including through child sexual abuse material, while stressing the urgent need for the effective implementation of prevention, protection, rehabilitation, recovery and reintegration measures for children who are victims and survivors, in a gender- and trauma-responsive manner, including through cross-border cooperation, as well as the importance of ensuring access to justice, accountability and legal remedies,

Recognizingthe scale, complexity and enormous individual and societal harm of all forms of sale and sexual exploitation and abuse of children, both online and offline,

Expressing concern that conflicts, poverty, public health emergencies, climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution crises and the large-scale movements of migrants and refugees have increased the risk, in various manifestations, of the sale and sexual exploitation of children, in particular of girls, while stressing that States should put in place robust, rights-based child protection systems to prevent or mitigate the impact of these crises on the full realization of the rights of the child, including with regard to family life, while taking into consideration the importance of family reunification in the case of children on the move,

Stressing that the realization of all rights of the child is a crucial means to achieving the goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially targets 5.3, 8.7 and 16.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on the institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedure Mandate Holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that mandate holders shall discharge their duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1.Welcomes the work and contributions of the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children;

2.Decides to extend the mandate of Special Rapporteur, for a period of three years on the same terms provided by the Human Rights Council in its resolutions 7/13, 34/16, 43/22 and 52/26;

3.Requests the Special Rapporteur to support States in developing legal and policy frameworks and child protection strategies through a child- and gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, victim-centred and trauma-informed approach and in a child-friendly manner to effectively prevent and eradicate new and emerging forms of the online and offline sale and sexual exploitation and abuse of children, in accordance with international human rights law;

4.Also requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to report annually on the implementation of the mandate to the Human Rights Council and biennially to the General Assembly, in accordance with their respective programmes of work, making suggestions and recommendations on the prevention and elimination of all forms of sale and sexual exploitation and abuse of children and on the protection, rehabilitation, recovery, reintegration and access to justice of children who are victims and survivors, in a gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, victim-centred, trauma-informed, child-friendly and child rights-based manner, including on how to advance the protection capacities of communities and families, with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration;

5.Further r equests all States to cooperate fully with and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of her tasks, providing all requested information and considering favourably her requests for visits and for implementing her recommendations;

6.Encourages the Special Rapporteur to continue to cooperate with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons and other relevant mandate holders;

7.Also encourages the Special Rapporteur to continue to seek views and contributions from States and other relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society and children;

8.Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the assistance necessary to the Special Rapporteur to fulfil the mandate, in particular by placing adequate human and material resources at her disposal;

9.Decides to continue its consideration of this question in accordance with its programme of work.

5 2nd meeting

30 March 2026

[Adopted without a vote.]