A/68/290 C. Typological analysis of challenges in the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and equality between men and women 36. In the present chapter, the Special Rapporteur analyses practical challenges in the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and equality between men and women. The described phenomena and patterns are examples; they certainly do not cover the whole range of existing challenges as they may develop in ever new facets. To avoid a possible misunderstanding, the Special Rapporteur would like to underline from the outset that each case and each situation must always be examined carefully on their own merits. 1. Addressing religious stereotypes in conjunction with gender stereotypes 37. Overcoming discrimination against women is a paramount human rights obligation to be found in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and countless other binding human rights documents. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women plays the pivotal role in this regard. In its article 2, States parties “condemn discrimination against women in all its forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women […]”. 38. Pursuant to article 5 (a) of the Convention, States parties are obliged to take all appropriate measures “to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudice and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women”. To fulfil this obligation, States parties must critically address cultural practices that accord men and women unequal roles, positions and opportunities in family life, labour markets, public and political life and society at large. Examples include obstacles to women pursuing professional careers or attending institutions of higher education; restrictions on their right to travel; underrepresentation of women in public positions; obstacles to women’s freedom to find a spouse of their own choice; child marriage, frequently amounting to marital rape; humiliating treatment of widows, including denial of their right to remarry a spouse of their own choice; female genital mutilation; rigid dress code regulations imposed on women against their will; male-child preference, sometimes leading to sex-selective abortion or female infanticide; non-acceptance of any way of life outside of a traditional family context; denigration of the image of women in public life, including in media and advertisements; violence against women, sometimes even leading to so-called “honour killings”; denial of property rights and of equal rights of succession; denial of the right to seek a divorce and exposure to the threat of unilateral repudiation; and the assumption that women generally cannot live without male protection, which may seriously hamper their freedom to lead their lives in conformity with their own wishes, convictions and plans. 7 Needless to say, this list of examples is far from exhaustive. Discrimination based on stereotypical roles of men and women is __________________ 7 10/22 See relevant general recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, including No. 12 (1989) on violence against women; No. 13 (1989) on equal remuneration for work of equal value; No. 14 (1990) on female circumcision; No. 18 (1991) on disabled women; No. 19 (1992) on violence against women; No. 21 (1994) on equality in marriage and family relations; and No. 23 (1997) on women in political and public life. 13-42191