A/68/290 one of the most widespread human rights violations worldwide. It can assume cruel forms and deprives many women and girls of their rights to life, freedom and respect for human dignity. The need for concerted action to eliminate such violations, including by addressing their cultural root causes, is more than obvious. 39. Deeply rooted cultural patterns of expected conduct of men and women are frequently interwoven with religious norms and practices. In many cases they even claim a direct religious justification. The previous mandate holder stressed that in many countries “gender discrimination is in fact founded on cultural and/or religious practices” and that a large number of reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women “have been made by States on exclusively religious grounds referring to a perception of society and the law in relation to women’s personal status” (see E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.2, para. 58). 40. When dealing with this problem, one should take into account that the relationship between culture and religion in general shows manifold facets both between and within religious traditions. This topic is typically also controversial within religious communities themselves. While some members of a religious community may appreciate broad overlaps between religion and culture as something quite natural, others may fear that the specific profile of religious messages and norms becomes unrecognizable if religion and culture are simply amalgamated. Moreover, using a conceptual distinction between religion and culture has become one of the most important methodological tools for reformers, including feminist theologians, operating within different religious or belief contexts with the purpose of redefining the boundaries of religion and culture. It also plays a crucial role in projects of distinguishing core elements of religious messages and norms from traditional cultural practices, with a view to promoting women’s human rights within their religious communities. For any analysis of conflicts between religious traditions and the human rights principle of equality between men and women it remains utterly important to bear in mind that religion and culture, albeit interwoven in manifold ways, are not identical and that their relationship can be exposed to critical questions and reform agendas, often based on initiatives that originate from the midst of religious communities themselves. 41. Unsurprisingly, State policies for eliminating deeply rooted gender stereotypes frequently come into conflict with persons, organizations or institutions that defend existing hierarchies between men and women. In situations in which such patterns are perceived as being based on religious prescriptions, this also frequently leads to conflicts with representatives and members of religious communities. There are in fact numerous examples of religious leaders opposing gender-related anti-discrimination policies. Although such opposition may mobilize parts of religious communities against anti-discrimination programmes, there may be other currents within the same communities who hold more moderate views or are openly supportive of broad anti-discrimination programmes. Taking interreligious and intrareligious pluralism into account is of paramount importance when dealing with conflicts in this field in order to find appropriate solutions and to do justice to the human beings involved in such conflicts. 42. Given the frequent experience of religiously motivated opposition and, at times, fierce resistance, some promoters of gender-related anti-discrimination policies may feel inclined to treat certain religions, or even religions in general, as mere obstacles in the development of societies free from discrimination. However, 13-42191 11/22