Regrettably, children belonging to minorities in many cases lack protection in each one of the above-mentioned fields. For this reason, particular attention should be paid, inter alia, to: • The right to life; • Non-discrimination; • The right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; • Preservation of identity; • Situations of violence; • Family and community violence, including possible abuse and neglect; • Health care and services for children and access for children belonging to minorities; • Equity between men and women and boys and girls within the community; • Situation of children with disabilities who belong to minorities; • Segregation in education; • Lack of access to education and learning of the mother tongue and culture; • Freedom of religion; • Economic exploitation, including child labour; • Sexual abuse and exploitation; • Child trafficking; • Children in emergencies, in particular refugee and internally displaced children belonging to minorities. D. Can the promotion and the protection of the rights of minorities help to prevent or resolve conflict? Promoting and protecting the rights of persons belonging to minorities have been demonstrated to be effective means of conflict prevention and resolution, and of building stable, inclusive societies in post-conflict situations. If minority rights are respected based on the rule of law, all groups, regardless of their language, religion, culture or ethnicity, will be able to exercise all their rights on an equal footing and freely express and pursue their legitimate aspirations. However, in most countries, this principle is far from being realized and, often, long-term and well40