A/HRC/31/59 the arts, are important tools for combating fundamentalist ideologies that are detrimental to human rights and result in discrimination, violence and terrorism. 36. The Special Rapporteur would also like to emphasize the situation of artists, scientists and intellectuals at risk, who face a wide range of violations of their human rights around the world. It is urgent to recognize and address these risks, as the ability of such persons to fulfil their artistic, scientific and intellectual roles, including in the field of education, is essential for their own human rights but also for the cultural rights of all. 37. The Special Rapporteur also intends to continue addressing the right to artistic expression and creativity more broadly. Too many countries still practise censorship of the arts (see A/HRC/23/34). Financial crises and austerity measures have led to severe cuts in public spending, resulting in unemployment among artists and the closure of cultural institutions. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur expresses deep concern about the ongoing inequalities faced by women in the arts. 14 38. In light of the epic 2015 refugee and migrant crisis that is ongoing, the Special Rapporteur believes it important to underscore that protecting the cultural rights of refugees and migrants, including women, is a critical aspect of ensuring their well-being, integration and rehabilitation after trauma. The Special Rapporteur is keen to find ways to address those questions. 39. The issue of public space is a central theme of the mandate that needs further exploration. Some of the main questions are whether access to public space is open to all, who curates the public space, whose voice is dominant and how public space can be used as a tool for mutual exchange and interaction. These are central questions for enabling people to live together in dignity. 40. As the Special Rapporteur would like to take a forward-looking approach, she hopes to examine the cultural rights of children and youth, both girls and boys, and education about the importance of cultural rights and cultural heritage. This is in keeping with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (art. 31), which recognizes the right to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. In its general comment No. 17 (2013) on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts, the Committee on the Rights of the Child underscored the “poor recognition” of the rights contained in article 31, in particular with regard to girls, poor children, children with disabilities and indigenous children. This is a lynchpin issue where change can have a significant impact. As the Committee on the Rights of the Child insists, “participation in cultural and artistic activities are necessary for building children’s understanding, not only of their own culture, but other cultures, as it provides opportunities to broaden their horizons and learn from other cultural and artistic traditions, thus contributing towards mutual understanding and appreciation of diversity” (para. 12 of general comment No. 17). 41. In keeping with this area of concern, the Special Rapporteur calls attention in particular to the need to safeguard education as a critical space for the fulfilment of children’s cultural rights. She is keen to address the alarming phenomenon of targeted attacks against schools, including girls schools, and universities; curricular restrictions resulting from various forms of extremism or censorship; and the negative impacts of austerity and budget cuts. She is especially keen to explore the importance of arts and sciences education. 14 10 She endorses the call for the collection of sex disaggregated data on women’s participation in the arts, in Ammu Joseph, “Women as creators: gender equality” in UNESCO, Reshaping Cultural Policies: A Decade Promoting the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for Development (2015), p. 173.