A/HRC/10/38 page 7 such violence; to give prompt consideration to expanding recruitment into law enforcement of persons belonging to ethnic and national minorities; and to develop and adopt a comprehensive governmental programme addressing the human rights situation of national minorities, especially the Roma. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 20. In its annual report to the Committee against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT/C/40/2), the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment adopted preliminary guidelines for the development of national preventive mechanisms, to be established or designated by each State party within a year of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture or of its ratification or accession. The guidelines specifically provide that the membership of the national preventive mechanism should be gender balanced and have adequate representation of ethnic, minority and indigenous groups. This specific provision was formulated as a recommendation in a report of the Subcommittee on its visit to Sweden (CAT/OP/SWE/1). Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 21. A number of State reports clearly indicated that certain migrants facing discrimination belong to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. For example, in its concluding observations in 2007 and 2008, the Committee recommended that Egypt (CMW/C/EGY/CO/1) and the Syrian Arab Republic (CMW/C/SYR/CO/1) provide adequate training to all judicial personnel and law enforcement officials on respect for human rights and non-discrimination on ethnic or racial grounds. 22. While the work of the treaty bodies clearly shows that significant attention is increasingly paid to situations and the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, it is also evident that most information is available for countries in Europe. There is thus a need to mainstream the consideration of situations and rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in other regions. III. SPECIAL PROCEDURES Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief 23. In her report (A/HRC/6/5), the Special Rapporteur referred to the vulnerable situation of religious minorities in various reports, stating, for example, that the practice of her mandate shows that national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities are in a particularly vulnerable situation and are often subject to multiple discrimination based on the various aspects of their identity, for example racial and religious. The Special Rapporteur also raised the point that some religious minorities are adversely affected by manifestations of rejection or violence by non-State actors, and recalled that the State remains responsible even when abuses are

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