I. >> H  uman Rights and Indicators: Rationale and Some Concerns >> Indicators in the international legal framework shall have a name”. A similar provision is contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (art. 7 (1)).28 The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has an article specifically devoted to statistical information.29 Article 16 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights refer to the obligation for their State parties to report on the progress made in the enjoyment of human rights. Such references to quantitative indicators in treaties help to clarify the content of the right and to reinforce its operational aspects. Concerning the general comments and recommendations adopted by treaty bodies, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommends that State parties should set specific benchmarks or goals with respect to the reduction of infant mortality, the extent of vaccination of children, the intake of calories per person, the number of persons per health-care provider, etc.30 Given the importance of the “progressive realization” of the rights concerned, it underlines the importance of qualitative as well as quantitative data to assess adequately the progress over time. According to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, “statistical information is absolutely necessary in order to understand the real situation of women in each of the States parties to the Convention”.31 It recommends that social and economic surveys should formulate their questionnaire in such a way that data can be disaggregated according to gender; that State parties should encourage the compilation of statistics on domestic violence; and that State parties should provide quantitative data showing the percentage of women enjoying their rights in relation to political and public life.32 Similarly, the Committee on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the importance of detailed disaggregated data.33 In its general comment on the prohibition of torture and other cruel treatment or punishment, the Human Rights Committee states that reports of State parties should provide statistics relating to the administration of justice: on the number of complaints and how those complaints have been addressed.34 The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that Bolivia should “develop reliable, appropriate statistical tools to ensure self-identification in the 2012 census and to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous original campesino peoples and Bolivians of African descent in all stages of the census process and the inclusion of peoples in geographically remote locations”.35 It also requested Cambodia to “include in its next periodic report disaggregated data on ethnic minorities, including indigenous minorities, and on their socioeconomic status.”36 Finally, it is important to underline that the use of indicators, whether quantitative or qualitative and/or fact-based or judgement-based, in human rights assessments provides options that are, in 28. While recording births is of direct importance to delivering a birth certificate, which is often a condition for the enjoyment of other rights, the registration of all children represents an acknowledgment by the State of the importance attached to every individual and of their status under the law. The same is perhaps true for most other official statistics (e.g., causes of death, measures of income inequality and unemployment rates). 29. Its article 31 stipulates that “States Parties undertake to collect appropriate information, including statistical and research data, to enable them to formulate and implement policies to give effect to the present Convention”. 30. The Committee points out that global benchmarks are of limited use, whereas national or other more specific benchmarks can provide an extremely valuable indication of progress (general comment No. 1 (1989)). 31. General recommendation No. 9 (1989) on statistical data concerning the situation of women. 32. General recommendations No. 9 (1989), No. 19 (1992) on violence against women and No. 23 (1997) on article 7 (political and public life). 33. General comments No. 4 (2003) on adolescent health and development in the context of the Convention and No. 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation of the Convention. 34. General comment No. 20 (1992). 35. CERD/C/BOL/CO/17-20, para. 12. 36. CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 12. Human Rights Indicators 25