the quality of care and the health of younger children. Measures for implementing article 6 with regard to the business sector will need to be adapted according to context and include preventive measures such as effective regulation and monitoring of advertising and marketing industries and the environmental impact of business. In the context of care of children, particularly young children, other measures will be needed for creating an enabling environment for business to respect article 6 through, for example, the introduction of family-friendly workplace policies. Such policies must take account of the impact of working hours of adults on the survival and development of the child at all stages of development and must include adequately remunerated parental leave. D.The right of the child to be heard (art. 12) Article 12 of the Conventionestablishes the right of every child to freely express her or hisviews, in all matters affecting her or him, and the subsequent right for those views to be given due weight, according to the child’s age and maturity. States should hear children’s views regularly – in line with general comment No.12 –when developing national and local-level business-related laws and policies that may affect them. In particular, States should consult with children who face difficulties in making themselves heard, such as the children of minority and indigenous groups, children with disabilities as statedin articles 4, paragraph 3, and 7 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and children in similar situations of vulnerability. Governmental bodies, such as education and labour inspectorates, concerned with regulating and monitoring the activities and operations of business enterprises should ensure that they take into account the views of affected children. States should also hear children when child-rights impact assessments of proposed business-related policy, legislation, regulations, budget or other administrative decisions are undertaken. Children have a specific right “to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child” (art. 12, para. 3,of the Convention). This includes judicial proceedings and mechanisms of conciliation and arbitration that concern abuses of children’s rights caused or contributed to by business enterprises. As set out in general comment No.12, children should be allowed to voluntarily participate in such proceedings and be provided the opportunity to be heard directly or indirectly through the assistance of a representative or appropriate body that has sufficient knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the decision-making process as well as experience in working with children. There may be instances when business consults communities that may be affected by a potential business project. In such circumstances, it can be critical for business to seek the views of children and consider them in decisions that affect them. States should provide businesses with specific guidance emphasizing that such processes must be accessible, inclusive and meaningful to children and take into account the evolving capacities of children and their best interests at all times. Participation should be voluntary and occur in a child-friendly environment that challenges and does not reinforce patterns of discrimination against children. Where possible, civil society organizations that are competent in facilitating child participation should be involved. IV.Nature and scope of State obligations A.General obligations The Conventionprovides for a set of rights for children that impose a particular level of obligations on the State in view of the special status of children; there is a particular gravity to violations of children’s rights because they often have severe and long-lasting impact on child development. Article 4 sets out the obligation for States to undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights in the Convention and devote the maximum amount of available resources to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights of the child. Under international human rights law there are three types of obligation on States: to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. They encompass obligations of result and obligations of conduct. States are not relieved of their obligations under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto when their functions are delegated or outsourced to a private business or non-profit organization. A State will thereby be in breach of its obligations under the Convention where it fails to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in relation to business activities and operations that impact on children. The scope of these duties is explored further below, whilst the required framework for implementation is discussed in chapter VI. B.The obligation to respect, protect and fulfil 1.The obligation to respect The obligation to respect means that States should not directly or indirectly facilitate, aid and abet any infringement of children’s rights. Furthermore, States have the obligation to ensure that all actors respect children’s rights, including in the context of business activities and operations. To achieve this, all business-related policy, legislation or administrative acts and decision-making should be transparent, informed and include full and continuous consideration of the impact on the rights of the child. The obligation to respect also implies that a State should not engage in, support or condone abuses of children’s rights when it has a business role itself or conducts business with private enterprises. For example, States must take steps to ensure that public procurement contracts are awarded to bidders that are committed to respecting children’s rights. State agencies and institutions, including security forces, should not collaborate with or condone the infringement of the rights of the child by third parties. Furthermore, States should not invest public finances and other resources in business activities that violate children’s rights. 2.The obligation to protect States have an obligation to protect against infringements of rights guaranteed under the Conventionand the OptionalProtocols thereto