A/HRC/41/45/Add.2 Education 66. Many interlocutors explained that they had been bullied in school on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They felt unsafe, excluded and ostracized, and several explained that they had dropped out of school as a result of such abuse. 67. On 1 November 2018, the parliament approved a revision of the law on the national education system with a view to aligning and harmonizing it with the international and regional commitments of Mozambique, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The revision is aimed at guaranteeing equitable and inclusive education for all, promoting respect for human rights and cultivating a spirit of tolerance, solidarity and respect for the others and their differences. 68. Policies and guidelines to combat homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in educational settings are, however, lacking, as are support and protection systems. All issues related to sexuality and gender identity are generally considered taboo. As a result, very few teachers are trained in or aware of sexual and gender diversity and the school curriculum does not cover topics that would raise awareness among and educate students on these issues. In recent years, efforts have been made to expand comprehensive sexuality education to increase children’s and young people’s knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights, but the scope of the teaching has not been extended to cover issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity. 24 69. As in all other fields of life, civil society is filling some of the gaps. Lambda trained 40 schoolteachers in 2017 and 121 in 2018 on sexual diversity and gender identity from a human rights-based approach. Interestingly, in the context of these training courses, teachers themselves acknowledged that discrimination based on sexual orientation in the school environment is a real problem and that there was a need to adopt specific strategies with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. They also highlighted the fact that more information on these issues should be available, not only in the school environment, but in communities and in society in general.25 70. The Independent Expert notes that educational settings play a key role in nurturing a sense of empathy, dispelling myths that transform into stigma, and contributing to a more tolerant and inclusive society (A/HRC/35/36, para. 61). 2. A vibrant civil society movement, for which the support of the State is prescribed by the law, and yet is refused without justification 71. The right to freedom of association is regulated by Law No. 8/91 on associations, which stipulates that registration of an organization should not take more than 45 days (art. 5). Limitations to the right to freedom of association enshrined in the Constitution are strictly limited to the formation of armed, military or paramilitary associations and those that promote violence, racism, xenophobia or that pursue purposes contrary to the law (art. 52 (3)). 72. The Independent Expert wishes to acknowledge the extraordinary work done by Lambda, the sole organization taking upon itself to defend the lives and integrity of every lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans persons in a country of almost 30 million persons. Thanks to Lambda, many lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people who had been otherwise excluded and ostracized found a community that is accepting and enabling. The Independent Expert is persuaded that through its work, Lambda must has saved many lives. Throughout the visit, State and non-State interlocutors identified Lambda as the indispensable organization in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity. 24 25 14 See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “Moçambique: relatório anual 2017”. Lambda, “É importante desmistificar mitos e tabus ligados a homossexualidade no espaço escolar”, LambdaNews; and Lambda, “A escola é lugar para ensinar sobre o respeito às diferenças”, LambdaNews.