A/HRC/38/24 curricula intended to promote gender equality, and transform traditional gender roles, fuelled strong resistance by parents. 29 20. Gender-transformative early childhood development programing was identified as an effective strategy for helping counter discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes and for encouraging more equal gender relations between boys and girls, including children with diverse sexual orientations or gender identities and gender non-conforming. Such programming engages both men and women — parents, caregivers, community leaders and educators — for the purpose of changing the way children are taught so that entrenched discriminatory norms and attitudes based on gender are challenged from early age. It also ensures that girls and boys are provided with equal care and opportunities. Reportedly, such interventions have also promoted support among men for care work and emotional engagement in the upbringing of their children. 30 21. The arts, media and other forms of communication can either exacerbate or help transform discriminatory gender stereotypes. Some submissions stressed the need to address discriminatory gender stereotypes in the media and other communication channels, including in the public expression of sexism and anti-feminism online, 31 as well as in commercial advertisements.32 22. Many submissions highlighted the power of the innovative use of art, the media and other communication tools in support of gender equality, the elimination of gender-based violence and the transformation of discriminatory gender stereotypes. Such interventions include the use of soap operas, 33 rap music, 34 online comics, 35 video blogs 36 and art competitions37 to disseminate gender-transformative messages. An online media campaign for gender equality in Slovenia included the creation of a virtual “museum of stereotypes”, which invited users to share their perceptions.38 It was reported that these interventions had a strong positive impact on the perceptions and attitudes of adolescent boys. For example, in the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands,39 boys reacted very positively to the message of popular rap artists asserting non-violent masculinity. 40 In Nicaragua, an evaluation of the impact of a gender-transformative television series revealed that the series had the strongest positive impact on 13–17-year-old boys in conservative areas in terms of changes in attitudes towards gender equality, including increased recognition of women’s rights and the importance of consent in sexual relations, as well as the increased acceptance of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. 41 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 8 E.g. the submission by the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights of France. Submission by Plan International. Submission by Sweden. Submission by Czechia. E.g. the television series “Sexto Sentido” and “Contracorriente” in Nicaragua. See the submission by Puntos de Encuentro. E.g. If I Could Go Back in Time, by Palestinian hip-hop band DAM (Da Arabian MCs) in collaboration with UN-Women. See www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2012/11/palestinian-hiphop-group-dam-raises-awareness-of-honour-killings-through-a-powerful-music-video. See also the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands (www.rutgers.international/what-wedo/positive-masculinities/beat-macho-campaign) and the submission by Rutgers. See, for example, the Beat the Macho campaign in the Netherlands and the submission by Rutgers. Ibid. E.g. the annual art competition “My human rights” organized by the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights. See the submission by the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights. Towards Equalizing Power Relations Between Women and Men project. See the submission by Slovenia. See www.rutgers.international/what-we-do/positive-masculinities/beat-macho-campaign and the submission by Rutgers. Submission by Rutgers. Submission by Puntos de Encuentro.