A/71/269 exposure of students to such teachings, general information about religions may well become part of the compulsory school curriculum, “if it is given in a neutral and objective way”, as the Human Rights Committee cautions in paragraph 6 of its general comment No. 22. However, the objectivity of textbooks and other learning materials is often questionable, for example, when textbooks assume a peculiar warning tone towards “non-traditional” minorities or “sects”, thus stigmatizing certain communities. Many textbooks used in school reflect existing religious hegemonies while totally ignoring the perspectives of minorities. For students and parents exposed to such stigmatization, possibly even on a daily basis, school education can be a traumatizing experience. Other school textbooks may favour a narrowly secularist world view by either completely excluding religious themes or by containing solely critical and negative comments o n religion, which, together with corresponding teaching practice, may put religious students under pressure. 5. State-induced discrimination and stigmatization 58. The patterns described above — restrictive criminal law provisions, harassment and intimidation by an unsympathetic bureaucracy, discriminatory structures in family laws and disrespectful treatment of children in schools — often overlap, thus creating a climate in which members of religious minorities, followers of non-traditional religious movements, individual dissidents, critics, converts, agnostics, atheists and others may suffer systematic discrimination, marginalization and exclusion. Hateful statements by government officials or media campaigns may further exacerbate their situation. However, members of the majority religion may also suffer from a climate in which religious and belief-related issues can scarcely be discussed in a relaxed and open manner. 59. As elaborated in section III.B above, the motives behind State -induced violations of freedom of religion or belief can be manifold, may differ from country to country and can also change in the course of a country’s development. Any comprehensive analysis requires the consideration of all relevant factors, including economic and social factors, that may lead to multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination, such as discrimination in the intersection of religious minority status, gender, caste, economic impoverishment and other factors. D. Violations by non-State actors and societal restrictions 60. Many of the most brutal abuses of freedom of religion or belief are currently perpetrated by non-State actors, such as terrorist groups or militant vigilante groups. The fact that there is no general definition of non-State actors, nor a consensus on their human rights obligations (see A/HRC/28/66, paras. 54-59), renders any attempt at providing a typological overview rather complicated. While it ma y be that non-State actors are those carrying out acts of violence, States are sometimes directly or indirectly supporting these actors for the different motives explained above. The main purpose of the present section is to remind Governments of the responsibility that they bear also when combating violations of freedom of religion or belief committed by non-State actors. 16-13296 17/22