Bangkok--21 Sep--OHCHR-Bangkok
During an official visit to the country from 24 September to 1 October, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children will examine to what extent and how Malaysia is engaged in preventing and combating these issues.
"I will seek to help the Government of Malaysia promote and protect the rights of children and evaluate the risks and forms of exploitation along with the measures already adopted to fight the problem and examine the challenges that remain," said the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio.
The Special Rapporteur's mission will focus on issues such as the sexual exploitation of children through information and communication technologies and the sale of children through illegal adoptions. She will pay particular attention to the issue of child marriage, as Malaysia is reaching a key point in a national debate on eradicating this violation of children's rights.
"I will also meet child victims of abuse, violence and exploitation, and children in vulnerable situations, such as refugees, to make sure their opinions are duly taken into account in my recommendations to the Government and other concerned parties," said Ms de Boer-Buquicchio.
During her eight-day visit, the UN expert will travel to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. She will meet representatives of the Government and the judiciary as well as provincial and local authorities, representatives of non-profit associations and NGOs, the private sector and members of the international community.
At the end of her visit, on Monday 1 October 2018, Ms de Boer-Buquicchio will share her preliminary findings with the media at apress conference, which will take place at 14:30 local time at the JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (Bintang 4, Level 3). Access to the news conference will be strictly limited to journalists.
The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report on her visit to a subsequent meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.