A/HRC/22/45 which allegedly occurred within the three months preceding the receipt of the report by the Working Group. During the reporting period, the Working Group was able to clarify 74 cases of enforced disappearance. 72. More than 40,000 cases still remain unclarified by the Working Group, many dating back decades. In spite of this large number, underreporting remains a major problem, and is due to various reasons, including fear of reprisals, weak administration of justice, ineffectual reporting channels, institutionalized systems of impunity, poverty, illiteracy, language barriers, a practice of silence and restrictions on the work of civil society. More assistance should be provided to family members and members of civil society to enable them to report cases to the Working Group. 73. The Working Group continues to note a pattern of threats, intimidation and reprisals against victims of enforced disappearance, including family members, witnesses and human rights defenders working on such cases. The Working Group calls upon States to take specific measures to prevent such acts, protect those working on cases of enforced disappearances and punish the perpetrators, in accordance with article 13, paragraphs 1 and 3 of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Measures should be taken by the Human Rights Council to ensure a more systematic reaction to counter reprisals against persons who cooperate with the United Nations. 74. The Working Group is grateful for the cooperation received from a number of States; such cooperation is indispensable for discovering the fate or whereabouts of disappeared persons around the globe. Nevertheless, the Working Group remains concerned that, of the 84 States with outstanding cases, some have never replied to the Working Group,and some provide responses that do not contain relevant information. The Working Group urges all States to fulfil their obligations under the Declaration and the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. 75. Country visits are an integral part of the mandate fulfilled the Working Group. They allow the Working Group to highlight country practices in addressing enforced disappearances, to assist States in reducing obstacles to implement the Declaration, and to ensure direct contact with the family members of victims. There are, however, a number of States from which the Working Group has requested invitations to visit, which have not been forthcoming. There are others that have informally invited and/or confirmed invitations, but for which specific dates to visit have not been agreed. The Working Group therefore calls upon all States with pending requests for visits to respond favourably to them in the light of Human Rights Council resolution 21/4, and those that have agreed to visits to respond as soon as possible with specific dates. 76. The Working Group once again calls upon Governments that have not signed and/or ratified the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to do so as soon as possible and to accept the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive individual cases, under article 31, and inter-State complaints under article 32 of the Convention. 77. The Working Group is grateful to the Governments of Argentina and of France for their financial and human resource contributions, which allowed the Working Group to have enhanced support. The Working Group reminds the United Nations of the limited regular budget made available to it and calls on all States for greater assistance to allow it to accomplish its mandate. 78. The Working Group is concerned that many communications are not still translated in time, thus delaying their consideration by the Working Group and limiting its humanitarian mandate. The Working Group also regrets that, at the time 19