A/HRC/44/46 IV. Elimination of stereotypes and the right to truth and memory 38. Persons affected by leprosy and their family members continue to experience the violating effects of unwritten social norms, values and beliefs. Together with the ripple effect of historical State segregation policies, the remaining discriminatory laws and persistent harmful stereotypes sustain the dehumanization of persons affected and their family members, with a damaging and sweeping impact on their autonomy and self-esteem. The internalization of stigmatization is an extreme form of dehumanization that compromises the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health and the overall enjoyment of fundamental freedoms. 39. The persistence of harmful stereotypes and wrongful stereotyping calls for finegrained strategies aimed at both raising awareness among the general public and building capacity among persons affected and their families on their rights and how to claim them. Remedies, compensation and reparation for violations on the grounds of leprosy suffered both by persons affected and their family members are justice measures able to produce positive spillover effects, through general acknowledgment of the unfairness of violations and of the legal obligation of States to take the violation of rights seriously. A. Awareness-raising and capacity-building 40. The relationship between stereotypes about leprosy and the dehumanization of affected individuals has been documented by the Special Rapporteur. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has expounded thoroughly on how gender stereotypes are root causes of human rights violations, also pointing out the limited awareness of stereotypes as mechanisms that breach the principles of equality and nondiscrimination and undermine human dignity. Article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women establishes the duty of the State to take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish existing discriminatory laws, regulations, customs and practices. Article 7 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination affirms the obligation of the State to adopt measures for fighting prejudices that spur racial discrimination. In its general recommendation No. 35 (2013) on combating racist hate speech, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called for ethical conduct among the media and highlevel public authorities, with a view to promoting a culture of tolerance and respect. Article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities directly addresses the problem of harmful stereotypes, referring to the obligation of the State to adopt immediate, effective and appropriate measures to combat stereotypes, prejudices and related harmful practices in all areas of life. The principles and guidelines prohibit any discriminatory language against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, acknowledging the interlinkage between language and stigmatization, which should also include the use of images. 41. In joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2019) on harmful practices, the Committees called for a holistic approach to addressing stereotypes that acknowledged the interconnection between different social norms and the need of a comprehensive framework for addressing any harmful practice. The limitations of an approach targeting individual behaviours were also stressed, and a community-based approach aimed at systemic change through the collective adoption of new social rules was put forward. Participation of the victims is a key component of the strategy, which links protection to empowerment. 42. Strategies aimed at transforming social norms and customs about leprosy should be grounded in a holistic framework, community-based, empower affected individuals and have as primary focus the prevention of discrimination. Capacity-building of persons affected and their families on their human rights will promote active citizenship, accountability and strategic use of access to justice. Strategies should target awarenessraising and capacity-building of non-official authorities, such as community and traditional leaders and healers, as well as relevant professional groups, such as health-care workers, 11