A/HRC/43/50/Add.2 C. 1. The right of all to take part in cultural life, without discrimination The cultural rights of women 60. Women play active roles in Maldivian society and cultural life. The Special Rapporteur was pleased to meet many women working in the fields of arts and culture, in Government and in civil society, including at a high level. However, she was sorry to learn that there were only four women in the current parliament, and that women were insufficiently represented in top positions in the civil service. Much needs to be done by all political parties and sectors of Government to address the unacceptably low rate of representation of women. 61. Women reported facing particular scrutiny and pressure on social media, and there are said to be growing views in some parts of society against women and girls performing in public. While great progress has been made in enacting legislation mandating women’s rights, cultural attitudes viewing women primarily as wives and mothers persist and must be challenged in keeping with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Changing negative attitudes towards women needs to be a priority across the board for the Government. One particular area where the official message should be reviewed is in school manuals and on Government websites, which reportedly still contain sexist and misogynistic views and discourses that must be challenged and changed. 62. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the reportedly increasing patterns of violence against women, including female genital mutilation. Women and girls should be legally protected against all forms of violence and the perpetrators should be prosecuted. Relevant existing laws must be implemented and remaining gaps in law eliminated, in keeping with the Government’s stated positive commitment. Effective measures also need to be taken to address the absence of safe houses and protective measures for victims of such violence. 63. The Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services needs greater resources, and women’s human rights need to be mainstreamed across all ministries, including the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to reconsider the potential incompatibility of article 3 (a) with article 3 (b) of the Gender Equality Act and clarify that the principles of international human rights law stated in the latter must prevail in the interpretation of the Act. 2. The cultural rights of persons with disabilities 64. The Special Rapporteur was glad to learn of the decrease in stigma with regard to certain disabilities. This important development should be consolidated to increase inclusiveness in society and remove remaining obstacles. She hopes further ideas, such as the possibility of a drumming group for persons with disabilities, will be implemented. 65. One area that could benefit from inclusivity assessments is public spaces. To a large extent, these are not easily accessible to persons with disabilities, which has a negative impact on their right to participate in cultural and leisure activities and gatherings. Making public spaces more accessible – for example, through the use of universal design – would also improve access by other persons, such as parents with strollers and older persons. 66. Remaining obstacles reported include the challenge of access to education, the lack of understanding of the range of disabilities beyond physical impairment and the reported lack of specially designed programmes for persons with disabilities to exercise their cultural rights. Regular consultations between the relevant ministries, persons with disabilities and those working to defend their rights are necessary, in order to better frame the issues, ascertain their needs and aspirations and develop the most adequate solutions. Funds should also be made available without delay for installing Dhivehi in Non-Visual Desktop Access and other screen reader software. 3. The situation of migrant workers 67. Non-nationals make up about a quarter of the country’s population. They are mainly from Bangladesh and India, and work to a large extent in the construction, care and tourism 12