UN Special Rapporteur’s visit to Japan postponed

GENEVA (31 August 2015) – The first visit to Japan by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, has been cancelled for unforeseeable personal circumstances, and is being rescheduled.

The Human Rights Council’s independent expert was due to visit Japan from 2 to 8 September 2015, to assess the situation of sale and sexual exploitation of children in the country.

A new media advisory will be released as soon as new dates for the visit are confirmed.

ENDS

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (Netherlands) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2014. She served as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe between 2002 and 2012. Ms. de Boer-Buquicchio spearheaded the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. She is the President of the European Federation for Missing and Exploited Children. Learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Children/Pages/ChildrenIndex.aspx

UN Human Rights, Country Page – Japan: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/JPIndex.aspx

For further information and media inquiries, please contact Ms. Nekane Lavin (+41 22 917 94 02 /nlavin@ohchr.org) or write to srsaleofchildren@ohchr.org

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)