A/71/269 1. Terrorism, extremism, vigilantism and social ostracism 61. Some terrorist groups that pretend to operate in the name of religion try to wipe out any traces of religious diversity, not only in the present and for the future, but even traces of the past (see A/56/253, paras. 25-30). Atrocities committed by such groups include mass killings, extremely cruel forms of execution, mutilations, forcible deportations, ethnic cleansing, blackmailing, confiscation of property, kidnapping of women and children and their sale into slavery, the destruction of religious buildings, some of which had been recognized internationally as historical monuments, and other acts of brutality. 62. The information presented in section III.B above on the complex root causes of violations of freedom of religion or belief likewise applies to the atrocities committed by terrorist groups. Lack of good governance — for example, the breakdown of trustworthy public institutions, endemic corruption and cronyism, the absence of any rule of law, far-reaching societal fragmentation and concomitant polarization, and widespread feelings of despair within the population — creates the fertile ground on which militant groupings can operate successfully. At the same time, one should not ignore the additional impact of intolerant and narrow-minded religious interpretations, which, through modern information and communications technologies, reach out to a global audience. Terrorist groups have also received ideological, logistical and financial support from a numbe r of Governments, without which they would be less successful. While stigmatizing members of religious minorities as “unbelievers” or “heretics”, terrorist groups frequently also attack people of the same religion to which they themselves belong, thereby c reating a climate of fear in which no one can enjoy their freedom of religion or belief. 63. In a number of countries, self-appointed militant vigilante groups patrol their neighbourhoods to ensure that everyone behaves in ways deemed religiously appropriate, including by threatening violence (see E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.3). Women and girls typically run an increased risk of being sanctioned, for instance, when failing to conform to certain imposed dress codes or other norms of behaviour. Even if not being mandated by the Government, militant vigilante groups nonetheless may receive direct or indirect support from certain government agencies, which systematically turn a blind eye to abuses committed by such groups. 64. Furthermore, grave abuses of freedom of religion or belief can occur within homogeneous societal milieux that do not accommodate any interreligious or intrareligious diversity. Individuals not fitting into traditional patterns of “acceptable” belief and conduct may incur a variety of sanctions, such as social ostracism, systematic mobbing or even physical violence. Women and girls or persons with different sexual orientations and gender identities bear an increased risk of abuses when wishing to free themselves from narrow understandings of what is deemed “appropriate conduct”, often on the basis of excessively restrictive interpretations of religious norms. This is another area in which freedom of religion or belief frequently intersects with issues of gender-based violence or discrimination (see A/68/290). Apart from failing to provide appropriate legal and political protection, Governments may even support such repressive practices, for instance, through laws that treat violent crimes committed in the name of “honour” in a particularly lenient manner or by sending messages that blame the victim of an attack for having infringed moral norms in the first place. 18/22 16-13296