educational, social, cultural or other measures “to discourage demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, that leads to trafficking”. The Convention then includes a list of what its Explanatory Report refers to (in para. 110) as “minimum measures”: research on best practices, methodologies and strategies; raising awareness of the responsibility and important role of media and civil society in identifying demand as a root cause of trafficking; information campaigns involving public authorities and policy makers; and preventive measures including education programmes for children that integrate a gender perspective and that focus on the problem of gender-based discrimination. The Explanatory Report on the European Trafficking Convention confirms that this provision places a positive obligation on States to adopt or reinforce measures for discouraging demand for all forms of trafficking. The Explanatory Report notes that by devoting a separate, freestanding article to this issue, the drafters sought to “underline the importance of tackling demand in order to prevent and combat the traffic itself”. The aim of the measures is to achieve “effective dissuasion” (paras. 108 and 109). The role of demand in fuelling trafficking, and the importance of addressing demand as part of a comprehensive response to trafficking and related exploitation, has been repeatedly recognized in other contexts. The preamble to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, for example, refers to the efforts that are needed to raise public awareness and reduce consumer demand for the sale of children.174 Several of the human rights treaty bodies175 and Special Note that article 10 (3) requires international cooperation in addressing the root causes of offences addressed within the Protocol. 174 See, for example, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, concluding 175 observations: Guatemala (CEDAW/C/GUA/CO/7, para. 24) (“encourages the State party to develop and implement awareness-raising programmes”); Rwanda (CEDAW/C/ RWA/CO/6, para. 27) (“concerned at the lack of awareness of the scope of the phenomenon … further concerned at the criminalization of women and girls involved in prostitution, while the demand is not being addressed”); Cameroon (CEDAW/C/CMR/ CO/3, para. 31) (“calls on the State party to enhance measures aimed at the prevention of trafficking, including … awareness-raising and information campaigns”); Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (CEDAW/C/LBY/CO/5, para. 28) (“calls upon the State party to take all appropriate measures to suppress the exploitation of prostitution of women, including discouraging male demand”); Uruguay (CEDAW/C/URY/CO/7, para. 29) (“recommends that the State party conduct nationwide awareness-raising campaigns on the risks and consequences of trafficking targeted at women and girls”); Mexico (CEDAW/C/MEX/ CO/6, paras. 25, 27) (“recommends that the State party conduct nationwide awareness-raising campaigns on risks and consequences of trafficking targeted at women and girls”; “urges the State party to take all appropriate measures, including the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive plan to suppress the exploitation of prostitution of women and girls, child pornography and child prostitution, through, inter alia…discouraging the demand for prostitution”); Denmark (CEDAW/C/DEN/ CO/6, para. 23) (“requests the State party to intensify its efforts to combat trafficking in women, including measures to prevent trafficking, minimize the demand for prostitution”); Philippines (CEDAW/C/PHI/CO/6, para. 20) (“calls on the State party to take appropriate measures to suppress the exploitation of prostitution of women, including through the discouragement of the demand for prostitution”); Australia (CEDAW/C/AUL/CO/5, paras. 20-21) (“concerned about the absence of effective strategies of programmes to … address the demand for prostitution … recommends the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to combat the trafficking of women and exploitation resulting from prostitution, which should include the development of strategies to discourage the demand for prostitution”). The Human Rights Committee, in its concluding observations, has repeatedly called for States to generate public awareness of the unlawful nature, risks and effects of trafficking and related practices: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (CCPR/C/MKD/CO/2, para. 13) (“undertake to promote a change of public perception regarding the issue of trafficking, in particular with regard to the status of trafficked persons as victims”); Costa Rica (CCPR/C/CRI/CO/5, para. 12) (“reinforce measures to combat trafficking of women and children and, in particular … continue its efforts to generate public awareness of the unlawful nature of the sexual exploitation of women and children”); Thailand (CCPR/CO/84/ (Continued on next page) COMMENTARY 99