A/HRC/10/66 page 11 can be useful in paving a way towards wider support for this approach. Data collection of positive results can also encourage governments to adopt further measures and/or enhance existing ones. Item 7: Thematic discussion on the situations of children of African descent 65. Before beginning the discussion under this item, Mr. Frans made some opening remarks, stressing the problem of hate crimes, an issue previously identified by the Working Group as a subject that deserved discussion and accompanying recommendations. He said that hate crimes are a daily reality all over the world and that governments have a responsibility to put an end to these shameful and serious crimes. Several studies demonstrate the danger of allowing prejudices against others to take root and spread. Unfortunately, the step from hate speech to hate crime is easily made. In most of the countries, the law is clear and sees such racist motives as an aggravating factor but this is not always borne out in the trials. Though governments may have spoken out against racism and violence, the problem remains. The seriousness of such crimes and the duty of governments to take action to stop them have also been underlined by several international human rights bodies, highlighting the importance of effective investigation in cases of racially motivated violence. Children of African descent and violence 66. Ms. Najcevska presented her paper on “Children of African descent and Violence”. Children are 30 per cent of the world’s population today and 100 per cent of the population of tomorrow. What happens to children today is a projection of tomorrow. Children are a vulnerable group and violence against them has grown significantly over the last twenty years. Children have not been accorded enough significance as either historical or social actors. 67. The expert considered that the conjunction of violence and discrimination endured by children is an explosive combination that should be very carefully scrutinized. According to UNICEF, poverty aggravates the social exclusion that Afro-descendent peoples have endured for centuries. Afro-descendent communities live in high-risk conditions and generally the violence against children in these communities is both wider and deeper. In recent decades some extreme forms of violence against children, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, female genital mutilation, the worst forms of child labour and the impact of armed conflict have provoked international outcry and achieved a consensus of condemnation, although no rapid remedy. 68. The expert stated that by default, violence against children is invisible, while that directed against children of African descent is even more so. The problem is aggravated by a lack of reporting of cases and institutional violence. The reporting of violence is closely connected with the support and security that a child feels, the trust that he or she has in the relevant institutions and also with the education of the child. Only a small proportion of acts of violence against children is reported and investigated, and few perpetrators are held to account. 69. The expert also identified the following major issues of concern faced by children of African Descent: the disproportionate rate of expulsion, suspension and relegation to special programs for emotionally disturbed children; corporal punishment administered with greater severity; the large number placed under institutional care or detention centers charged with