• What are justified reasons for limiting the exercise of civil and political rights by armed forces personnel? • How do various OSCE participating States reconcile the political neutrality of the armed forces with the exercise of political rights by service personnel (e.g., the right to join political parties, freedom of expression, and the right to stand for political office)? • Which approaches do various OSCE participating States take with regard to freedom of assembly and the right to join military unions and associations? • How are the right to conscientious objection and the right to undertake alternative service codified in international treaties and instruments, as well as constitutional, and domestic legislation? How are these rights guaranteed in practice? • How can the right to religious freedom (including wearing religious headwear and dress, as well as partaking in religious practices) be integrated in military structures? What are the relevant international instruments and what good practices can be discerned in the OSCE region? Section IV deals with equality, non-discrimination, and equal opportunities in the armed forces. While acknowledging that the enjoyment of human rights on an equal footing does not imply identical treatment in every instance, this section looks at both de jure and de facto equality in the armed forces. In particular, it deals with ethnic and national minorities, gender, and sexual orientation. The major questions in the section are: • Which international treaties and instruments safeguard equal opportunities in the armed forces? What best practices may be identified for effectively implementing the principle of equality in the armed forces? • How can both the members of the armed forces and the military as an institution take a “managing diversity” approach to equality? • How can discriminatory treatment be outlawed in the barracks? How can harassment be prevented? • What approaches to equal opportunities in the armed forces do various states in the OSCE region take? Section V deals with specific issues of military life, including recruiting and selecting underage armed forces personnel, proper treatment of armed forces personnel, as well as standards of working and living conditions. The major questions addressed in this section are: • What kind of substantive and procedural safeguards do OSCE participating States have in place to ensure the human rights of underage members of armed forces? What are proper policies towards cadet schools and military training at general secondary schools? • What type of benefit packages and policies for veterans exist in various OSCE participating States? • What are the causes of institutionalized bullying and mistreatment of members of the armed forces, in particular those who are fulfilling their obligatory military service? How can institutionalized bullying and mistreatment be prevented and adequately addressed? • What approaches to working times and working conditions are followed in the OSCE region? Finally, Section VI covers the important field of promoting and enforcing human rights in the barracks. It includes human rights education, the responsibility of commanders to hold individual soldiers accountable for their conduct, as well as military justice and ombudsman institutions. The major questions addressed in this section are: • How can human rights training raise awareness and contribute to a professional culture within armed forces that respects human rights? 15 Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel