A/HRC/31/18/Add.1 politicians associated with denominational groups were actively involved in killings, possibly even massacres, and painful memories still linger within all communities. 51. Official schoolbooks and curricula do not cover the traumatizing events of recent history; indeed, there is no single unified textbook on history. 2 According to some interlocutors, interreligious coexistence in Lebanon is no less based on certain taboos than on open dialogue, and serious cross-denominational communications are often hampered by sensitive issues that people prefer to avoid in discussions. Attitudes of this type may also affect the depth and credibility of the widely evoked interreligious conviviality. 52. The instability and repeated cycles of violence of recent history in Lebanon may be due in part to a failure to address the complicated legacy of the past in a meaningful, responsible and sustainable way, necessary for the promotion and strengthening of trusting relationships between communities. Painful collective narratives, especially if told inside closed circles without any exposure to counternarratives of other groups, can foster bitterness and a climate of mutual mistrust. In other words, the development of more trust within society requires the possibility of discussing sensitive issues without having to fear the return of the “ghosts of the past”. It goes without saying that coming to terms with traumatic collective experiences is a long-term process, which can be successful only if based on broad participation and an honest attempt to face the facts. 53. Civil society organizations have begun to pave the way for this to happen in Lebanon. Several groups, such as the International Centre for Transitional Justice, perform an important task in the service of common citizenship, while enhancing the quality of intergroup communications. 54. The Special Rapporteur held a discussion with students from public and private schools who had participated in the project on the theme “Teaching divided histories”, facilitated by the British Council and supported by the Ministry of Education. The commitment reflected in the posters presented by school students participating in the initiative was quite heart-warming. Some students made a strong commitment to peace based on interreligious and inter -confessional respect. They also expressed their willingness to learn from the violent past. Nonetheless, the posters presented by one school depicted a child soldier in a heroic posture, thus inadvertently indicating how much still needs to be done to address recent events in Lebanese history with a critical spirit. D. Societal factors of separation 55. Any meaningful interaction among denominations naturally depends on the possibility for people to meet on a regular basis and without a need for too much effort. The preconditions for such interaction differ widely within the country: in some residential areas, people from different religious backgrounds live closely together; others are mainly inhabited by followers of one particular religion. People from higher social strata are generally more likely to live and work in a religiously mixed environment. Social and economic factors thus also seem to have an enormous impact on the quality of interreligious coexistence. 2 14 See the report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights on writing and teaching of history (A/68/296).