A/HRC/28/77 violence and intercommunal tensions. They may include measures and mechanisms to ensure that minority groups are able to express themselves and their concerns, engage in national debate and dialogue, and identify solutions to the issues that their communities confront, based on the principles of inclusion, consultation and participation of minorities. 22. States should identify and implement early warning indicators to assess the existence of factors that potentially lead to violence and allow authorities to take immediate and appropriate action to prevent violence. Indicators should include those relevant to minorities and be assessed in consultation with minority communities. 23. States should consider establishing dedicated institutions or dedicated units or departments within existing institutions, including in ministries in charge of minority rights protection and promotion, and include staff members from minorities and with expertise on minority issues. Such institutions or departments can take the lead in designing and implementing policy, mainstreaming attention to minority issues, monitoring the situation of minorities, establishing complaints mechanisms, setting up instruments of dialogue to promote consultation, conducting research and investigating human rights abuses, threats and minority rights violations. They should have a clear mandate, authority and adequate budgetary allocation to operate efficiently. In situations in which tensions exist or violence has previously occurred, minority issues should be taken up at the highest government levels to ensure that there are adequate institutional and policy frameworks and attention to minority issues to prevent and address violence. 24. States should collect data disaggregated by, inter alia, gender, age, ethnicity, caste, religion, mother tongue and geographical location, including in national census processes. Such data, analysed in combination with socioeconomic indicators, provide a better understanding of the size and status of minorities and a factual basis for developing a common understanding of the causes of inequalities and exposure to violence, as well as targeted objectives in the context of inclusive initiatives intended to prevent violence. Such data should be based primarily on self-identification, and civil society and minority groups should be involved throughout the process from design to collection and analysis, in order to improve accuracy and consistency of data collection and evaluation processes. 25. Data collection procedures must comply fully with international standards of personal data protection and use, in order to avoid data being misused to target a specific minority. Minorities should be consulted fully regarding the collection and use of data as a confidence-building measure, particularly where violence has occurred previously. As a practical measure, persons from minorities should be trained in data collection methodologies and engaged in processes of data analysis. 26. As an essential element to preventing violence against minorities, States should adopt holistic, inclusive and proactive security and policing strategies and incorporate positive practices into wider law enforcement and protection strategies. Open-ended consultation with minority communities and their participation in violence prevention measures are essential. 27. In order to avoid biased behaviour towards minorities, including biased application of the law which leads to confrontational behaviour and intercommunal tensions or violence, States should ensure that minorities are adequately represented and retained in law enforcement, security sector and judicial bodies at all levels. Affirmative action measures should be implemented, such as outreach to minorities and transparent recruitment processes based on principles that include fair and equitable representation of all minority groups in law enforcement bodies, including at senior levels. 28. Particularly in societies in which violence or conflict have previously broken out, risk assessment methodologies should be employed, built upon analysis of past violent events to assess the extent to which certain communities may face renewed threats of 6