A/HRC/37/55 audience, receiving and witnessing cultural and artistic actions should therefore also be considered an important part of taking part in cultural life. This too is a core part of freedom of artistic expression. 3. Cultivating diversity and combating discrimination at various levels 76. Many successful initiatives benefit from thoughtful integration of diversity: diversity of actors and disciplines, members of concerned groups and local partners, and collaborations between institutions in the fields of the arts, culture, education, truth and reconciliation, human rights, peacebuilding and development, all bringing different perspectives to the process and lifting up dignity. Outsiders can also help local actors take a step back and learn from different experiences. Because people have different sensibilities, diversity is also needed in the means of expression, spaces and opportunities for exploration, encounter and discussion in order to involve a larger number of people. 77. A prerequisite for the needed diversity is actively combating discrimination in the field of cultural rights in accordance with international standards, including discrimination on the bases of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, migrant status, disability or poverty. There is also a need to ensure involvement of rural people. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur recognizes the need for future work on the rights of persons with disabilities to participate fully in such initiatives. 78. One key concern is that of pervasive gender discrimination. For example, UNESCO has noted that a “multifaceted gender gap persists in almost all cultural fields in most parts of the world”.50 This must be tackled so that women can be equal participants in socially engaged artistic and cultural initiatives. Required initiatives include the full recognition of and encouragement for women as creative persons, the removal of impediments in their paths towards fully participating in and enjoying arts and culture, and the prevention of gendered attacks on artistic freedom. Such gender-specific attacks include women performers being penalized for their dress, banning of women performing or of broadcast of their performances, particular attacks on feminist art, and suppression of art and culture with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual themes.51 79. Another essential step is effectively and urgently combating sexual harassment in the fields of art and culture, which has begun to come to light in part through the brave #MeToo, #BalanceTonPorc, #AnaKaman, #YoTambien and other related social media campaigns in diverse languages around the world, through which many women in the fields of arts and culture have spoken out. These are crucial campaigns for equal cultural rights. In order to promote socially engaged arts and culture that can have a positive impact on society and the enjoyment of human rights, the production practices in these sectors must themselves respect human rights and equality. In the words of Mexican actor Salma Hayek, writing of the sexual harassment she faced while filming the story of socially engaged artist Frida Kahlo, “why do so many of us, as female artists, have to go to war to tell our stories …? Why do we have to fight tooth and nail to maintain our dignity? I think it is because we, as women, have been devalued artistically to an indecent state …. Until there is equality in our industry, with men and women having the same value in every aspect of it, our community will continue to be a fertile ground for predators.”52 80. The Special Rapporteur salutes initiatives such as #WakingTheFeminists in Ireland which challenged the dearth of female directors and playwrights represented in the commemoration of the 1916 rising by the Irish national theatre, the Abbey. 53 This artistic civil society campaign, with an important social media component, called on boards and artistic directors of publicly funded theatres to pay more attention to gender balance, and 50 51 52 53 16 A. Joseph, “Gender equality: missing in action”, in Re|Shaping Cultural Policies: Advancing Creativity for Development 2018 op. cit., p. 189. Ibid., p. 199. S. Hayek, “Harvey Weinstein is my monster too”, New York Times, 12 December 2017. Joseph, “Gender equality”, p. 193.