E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.2 page 48 education modifies women’s aspirations and priorities. Women then often wish to follow a profession and their perception of family and partner relationships changes. In some countries where negative religious traditions are prevalent, statistics show that women who have completed secondary schooling marry far later than illiterate women. The better educated and thus more independent, the better equipped they are intellectually and socially to reject many cultural and religious practices and beliefs that are detrimental to their status.264 It is not by chance that cultural and religious practices and norms that impair the status of women have most declined in countries which have chosen to pursue affirmative policies to promote female education and improve women’s access to employment and their position before the law. The revision of school textbooks, including in ethnic and religious communities, to eliminate sexist stereotypes and systematic portrayals of women solely as wives and mothers is necessary to ensure that such teaching materials do not reproduce negative images of women.265 195. According to WHO, harmful traditional practices, and particularly instances of female genital mutilation, have decreased in urban areas among communities with higher literacy rates.266 The education of girls thus plays a key role in environments where myths prevail about male-child preference and cultural traditions of doubtful religious origin. Educational and awareness campaigns have shown their effectiveness in efforts to eliminate harmful traditional practices. Such campaigns should target specific groups such as religious and community leaders, birth attendants, excision practitioners and traditional healers. The media and traditional means of information dissemination and training should play a major educating role here. 196. Formal and informal religious authorities have, as demonstrated by the example of Egypt, a key role to play with a view to helping to raise public awareness and especially to eradicate cultural traditions that are contrary to religion or based on interpretation or manipulation of religion. 197. In some countries, the police and judiciary behave more as guardians of harmful traditional practices and morality, which they interpret by their own standards, than as impartial enforcers of the law. In the case of some crimes of honour, for example, the police appear to play a particularly harmful role by failing to take action or even covering up fake honour killings. Also, judges are sometimes convinced that ending discrimination against women simply by applying the law constitutes interference in the patriarchal structure and may cause upheaval and disrupt the cultural values of the State, of which they consider themselves the custodians.267 It is therefore essential that those responsible for law enforcement undergo a positive change of attitude and be persuaded of the pressing need to put a stop to harmful practices, especially where involving criminal offences. Their inaction or lenient approach in this respect can encourage an increase in such crimes.268 A strategy to provide ongoing training and information for police forces, judicial officers and law-enforcement personnel in general, with assistance from international organizations, would consequently be most useful. (b) Legislative measures 198. As stated in the General Assembly’s historic resolution of 12 December 1997, entitled “Traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls”, and also in the Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Beijing Conference, it is necessary for States to take legislative or other measures against harmful cultural practices. Such measures may comprise, inter alia, the following: