In 2000 and 2001, the Committee on the Rights of the Child devoted two days of general discussion to the theme of violence against children. As a result of the days of general discussion (1), the Committee recommended that the Secretary-General be requested, through the General Assembly, to conduct an in-depth international study on violence against children (CRC/C111, para. 707). The Committee emphasized that this study should be “as thorough and influential” as the 1996 United Nations study on the impact of armed conflict on children, (A/51/ 306 and Add. 1) known as the Machel study. In his letter to the Secretary-General of 12 October 2001, transmitting the Committee’s request, the Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child emphasized that the study “should lead to the development of strategies aimed at effectively preventing and combating all forms of violence against children, outlining steps to be taken at the international level and by States to provide effective prevention, protection, intervention, treatment, recovery and reintegration” (A/56/488, annex).

In 2001, the General Assembly, in resolution 56/138 decided to request the Secretary-General to conduct ‘an in-depth study on the question of violence against children’. In its resolution 2002/92 on the rights of the child, the Commission on Human Rights suggested that the Secretary-General “appoint an independent expert to direct the study, in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization”. The same year, the General Assembly, in resolution 57/190 reaffirmed its request and encouraged the Secretary-General to appoint an independent expert to direct the study. On 12 February 2003, the Secretary-General appointed Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro as the independent expert to direct the study. In its resolution 2003/86, the Commission on Human Rights requested the independent expert to conduct the study as soon as possible and invited him to be based in Geneva in order to enhance his collaboration with the OHCHR, UNICEF and WHO.