A/67/303 (c) States should reform any family law provisions that may amount to de jure or de facto sanctions against converts and their families. This concerns the various areas of family law, including custody of children and inheritance laws; (d) States should issue anti-discrimination legislation with a view to providing effective protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in various areas of society. Such legislation should also address the vulnerable situation of converts; (e) States should ensure that no individual is exposed to pressure to convert against her or his will in the context of marriage and marriage negotiations. In this regard, States should pay particular attention to the situation of women. Aligning family laws with article 16 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to which religious difference should not be an obstacle to the right to marry a person of one’s choice, could be one important way of protecting potential spouses from pressure to convert against their will; (f) States should further clarify that freedom of religion or belief includes the right to try to convert others by non-coercive means of communication and persuasion. This includes, inter alia, the dissemination of literature and other material relating to religion or belief; (g) States should repeal vague provisions against so-called “proselytism”, “unethical conversion”, “apostasy” and “blasphemy” and should reform respective legislation to align it with the provisions of article 18 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 70. With regard to different areas of administration, the Special Rapporteur recommends that: (a) States should ensure that converts are able to have their new religious or belief orientation registered or not registered in official documents as they wish. This should also include the religion or belief of their children, in keeping with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. When issuing official documents, States should always ensure that no person is publicly exposed in her or his religion or belief against her or his will; (b) States should ensure that no person is exposed to situations in which she or he may experience pressure to convert or reconvert against her or his will, especially in State-controlled institutions, such as the police force, the military or penal institutions; (c) States should develop strategies on how to provide effective protection of converts from acts or threats of violence and other pressure from non-State actors; (d) States should give clear direction and training to law enforcement and similar agencies to ensure that they refrain from unduly infringing on the right to try to convert others by means of non-coercive persuasion; (e) States should not use visa rules to restrict non-coercive religious outreach activities; 22 12-46130

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