A/HRC/43/62 16. Where possible, education in, and the teaching of, minority languages should also draw on culture and include artistic creativity, such as theatre, painting, music and cinema. 17. Where possible, alternative learning methods, such as home or distance teaching, new technologies, including social media, mobile applications and other online methods, should also be used in education in, and the teaching of, minority languages, and in the preservation of minority culture and languages. III. Recommendations to address minority language education through a human rights-based approach 18. States should take the measures necessary to combat discrimination against minorities and ensure equal access to human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through the respect and recognition of the integral place of language rights as human rights 19. States should provide access to education in, and the teaching of, minority languages, in order to ensure equality among people from different linguistic backgrounds. 20. States should promote awareness-raising about the importance of education in the mother tongue to the identities and cultures of minorities, as well as raise awareness about the benefits of education in the mother tongue and multilingualism. 21. States should promote dialogue and tolerance within their countries among the various minorities, and create an enabling environment for such minorities to teach, learn and use their languages. 22. States should ensure that minority languages are taught in institutional environments that respect linguistic and cultural diversity, free from discrimination, stigmatization or hate speech towards minorities. 23. States should recognize that individuals who belong to deaf communities, indigenous peoples or migrant communities can all potentially constitute a linguistic minority and are eligible for education in, and the teaching of, their languages. 24. Deaf children should have the right to access education in sign language as a human right, and have the same opportunities in education as any other child. 25. States should recognize and promote respectful and empowering learning environments, inclusive of minority languages, as key in the full development of the individual, and his or her capacity to participate fully in social, political, economic and cultural life and to make informed decisions. 26. States should ensure that linguistic minorities are free from discrimination, oppression or intimidation for the teaching and use of their mother tongue. 27. States should avoid any restrictions on education in, and the teaching of, minority languages. States should refrain from forced assimilation of minorities, inter alia, through the prohibition of education in, or the teaching of, the mother tongue of minorities. 28. When States fail to comply with their international human rights obligations with regard to education in, and the teaching of, minority languages, minorities and civil society organizations are encouraged to use national judicial and administrative bodies to remedy the situation, as well as, if necessary, regional and international human rights bodies and mechanisms. 29. Member States should consider developing an international legal instrument on the human rights of minorities, which will include provisions on the rights of minorities in the area of education and the use of their languages, in consultation with the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and other relevant stakeholders. 4