Appointment of Professor Ai Kihara-Hunt to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on the Sale, Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children

On 31 March 2026, Professor Ai Kihara-Hunt (Department of Area Studies, Graduate Program on Human Security) has been appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children.
This appointment is a significant international recognition of Professor Kihara-Hunt’s expertise and longstanding contribution to the fields of human rights, international law, and child protection. In this role, she will serve as an independent expert mandated to examine, monitor, advise, and publicly report on issues related to the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children worldwide.
The Special Rapporteur is part of the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations human rights system, tasked with addressing either specific country situations or thematic issues across the globe.
We warmly congratulate Professor Kihara-Hunt on this important appointment and wish her every success in carrying out this vital mandate.