A/HRC/17/38/Add.1 other schools, as well as loss of self-esteem and cultural identity. Negative attitudes towards such religions devalorize all the cultural expressions of these communities, and adversely impacts children.16 81. Attacks on persons and sites associated with religions of African origin were reported to have occurred, in some instances, by followers of Pentecostal religions, who use the media to portray religio-cultural Afro-descent groups as “devil worshipers”. Raids and attacks on places of religions of African origin are still occurring in several Brazilian states, as well as provocation and physical aggression against its practitioners. Gender-based violence was a particular concern among Afro-Brazilian communities. Cases were reported of police having invaded Candomblé and Umbanda places of worship as recently as 2009. 17 Despite efforts undertaken by the Government to protect the sites and believers of Afrodescendent religions from imminent attacks, it appears necessary for the Government to take a stronger stand and redouble measures to protect them, including by addressing the persistence of racism in Brazilian society and the negative image of African religions that is sometimes diffused by followers of other religions and/or the media. E. The right to use one’s own language 1. Endangered languages in Brazil 82. UNESCO indicates that in Brazil, 97 languages are vulnerable to extinction, 17 are definitely endangered, 19 severely endangered, 45 critically endangered and 12 are already extinct. Information provided by the Government indicates that there are an estimated 150 to 180 surviving indigenous languages in Brazil, out of the approximately 1,200 languages recorded at the time of colonization. Consequently, nearly 85 per cent of native languages have disappeared and with them entire cultural configurations, as well as substantial sources of knowledge and cultural diversity. 83. In the Latin American region, Brazil possesses one of the highest linguistic densities, with one of the lowest demographic concentrations per language. The number of speakers can range from 20,000 (Guarani, Tikuna, Terena, Macuxi, and Kaigang) to a handful or, in some cases, a lone surviving speaker. According to UNESCO, the average number of speakers per language is 200. Yet even those languages with a relatively large number of speakers cannot be classified as “safe”, which means that there is no certainty that those languages will remain living languages by the end of this century. 2. Main policies and programmes to protect endangered languages in Brazil 84. The Government of Brazil, in partnership with UNESCO and other stakeholders, has undertaken a number of steps to protect languages at risk of disappearing. Measures taken include a partnership between the Linguistics Division of the Museum Goeldi and UNESCO (2007-2008) to conduct language documentation and build capacity on modern documentation methods in three indigenous groups in the States of Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Pará.18 16 17 18 See for example, Relatoria do Direito Humano à Educação. Informe Preliminar Missão Educação e Racismo no Brasil (2010) Eixo: Intolerância Religiosa na Educação, Plataforma Brasileira de Direitos Humanos Econômicos, Socias, Culturais e Ambientais (Dhesca), 2010. Ibid., p.8. The beneficiaries of this Project are the Arawak-Paresi communities of Mato Grosso State; Jabuti communities of Rondônia State, and the Ka'apor (Tupi-Guaraní people) of the State of Pará. 19