A/HRC/19/56 frequently not allowed to be used in national or local administration or as the language of instruction in schools, for example. Consequently those belonging to minorities may face barriers to their full participation in public life. Many young people belonging to minorities in all regions are often required to speak two or more languages, which on the one hand is vital for their full participation in society, but on the other hand can create difficulties and disadvantages, for example in their education, as they are required to study in a language that is not their mother tongue. 21. The independent expert will therefore pay special attention to the rights of and challenges faced by linguistic minorities. She will examine the problems as well as seeking to identify positive practices from all regions. For example, the use of models of bilingual education, commencing in the early years of schooling and including textbooks in minority languages, has been demonstrated to help children to become proficient in their mother tongue as well as national languages, maintain their ethnic and linguistic identity, and to help minority pupils to achieve positive education outcomes and fulfil their potential to participate effectively in wider society. B. The rights and security of religious minorities 22. Under article 1 of the Declaration on Minorities, States are required to protect the existence and religious identity of persons belonging to religious minorities and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity. Article 2 establishes that persons belonging to religious minorities have the right to profess and practise their own religion, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination. Particularly relevant to the rights of religious minorities are the provisions in article 2 relating to the right to establish and maintain their own associations and to establish and maintain free and peaceful contacts with other members of their group, as well as contacts across frontiers, with citizens of other States to whom they are related by religious ties. 23. The independent expert is particularly concerned about the situation of religious minorities in all regions. Information received by the mandate of the independent expert and the work of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, as well as other thematic mandates, have revealed disturbing attacks and violence against members of religious minorities and their places of worship, affecting Buddhist, Christian, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslim, and other religious minorities in several regions. Such violent attacks have been documented in numerous countries and different regions and are not confined to any one region. Long-standing and new forms of anti-religious extremism and the use of the internet and social media to spread hate speech and encourage discrimination and violence must be condemned at the highest levels. 24. In addition, the situation and abuse of the rights of persons belonging to “nontraditional” and new minority religious and faith groups remains concerning in some regions. Persons belonging to such groups report undue restrictions on their religious freedom and the activities of their leaders and members, administrative barriers to the registration of their faith-based organizations and establishment of places of worship and general harassment and intimidation including by law enforcement bodies and local authorities. In some cases members of such minorities experience violent attacks as a consequence of their religion or belief. 25. The independent expert will seek to consult with Governments, religious communities and leaders, and other stakeholders to highlight the need for appropriate security for individuals and communities and to contribute the resources of her mandate to help in finding solutions to interreligious tensions and promote inter-faith dialogue. She will seek examples of positive practices from all regions that have the objective of enhancing security, mutual understanding, promoting dialogue, establishing cooperation and ensuring the peaceful coexistence of diverse religious groups. 8