A/HRC/22/51 discrimination and partial exclusion from important sectors of society; discriminatory rules within family laws; indoctrination of children from minorities in public schools; publicly stoked prejudices and vilification sometimes connected with historic traumas and national mythologies; acts of vandalism and desecration; prohibition or disruption of religious ceremonies; threats and acts of violence; interference in the community’s internal affairs; confiscation of community property; criminal sanctions; denial of asylum, possibly resulting in extraditions and exposure to serious risks of persecution. 57. Given the number and gravity of human rights violations, the need for concerted action to better safeguard the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities is more than obvious. Such activities must be based on the principles of universality, freedom and equality that underpin the human rights-based approach in general as well as comply with the International Covenant, the 1992 Minorities Declaration and other international human rights instruments. 58. The rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities should therefore be consistently interpreted from a human rights perspective, and must be implemented in conjunction with all other human rights. The term “religious minority” should be broadly construed to cover all relevant groups of persons, including traditional and non-traditional communities or large and small communities; it also covers atheistic and non-theistic believers. One should furthermore take into account the situation of internal minorities, i.e. minority groups within minorities. Special attention should be given to women from religious or belief minorities, many of whom may suffer from multiple or intersectional forms of discrimination. 59. The rights of persons belonging to religious minorities are not antiuniversalistic privileges reserved to the members of certain predefined groups. Rather, all persons de facto living in the situation of a religious or belief minority should be enabled to fully enjoy their freedom of religion or belief, in full respect for their self-understanding, on the basis of effective non-discrimination and equality, and with prospects of freely developing their community-related religious or belief identities. B. 1. Recommendations General policies on the promotion of the rights of religious minorities 60. Stakeholders engaged in political advocacy on behalf of religious or beliefrelated minorities should consistently base their activities on the principle of normative universalism. They should pay attention that their advocacy does not inadvertently play the game of those who demonize minorities on the basis of religion or belief. This presupposes some knowledge of historically sensitive issues, which could sometimes turn against the interests of the respective minorities. Placing solidarity activities on behalf of religious minorities systematically in the framework of normative universalism is the best way of avoiding any misunderstandings. 61. Stakeholders engaged in human rights work should always base their activities on respect for the self-understanding of the human beings concerned. They should thus take into account that the minority terminology should never be used against the interest of the respective communities and their members who, depending on their situation, may prefer not to be called minorities in the public political arena. Decisions on such sensitive terminological issues should, whenever possible, be based on broad and regular communication with representatives of the various communities. 18