E/2010/27 E/CN.6/2010/11 “Recalling also general recommendation No. 14, concerning female circumcision, adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its ninth session, paragraphs 11, 20 and 24 (l) of general recommendation No. 19, concerning violence against women, adopted by the Committee at its eleventh session, and paragraphs 15 (d) and 18 of general recommendation No. 24, concerning article 12 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on women and health, adopted by the Committee at its twentieth session, and taking note of paragraphs 21, 35 and 51 of general comment No. 14 concerning article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its twentysecond session, “Recognizing that female genital mutilation violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of the human rights of women and girls, “Recognizing also that female genital mutilation is an irreparable, irreversible abuse that affects one hundred to one hundred and forty million women and girls alive today, and that each year a further three million girls are at risk of undergoing the procedure, “Reaffirming that harmful traditional or customary practices, including female genital mutilation, constitute a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, which can increase their vulnerability to HIV and may have adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes as well as fatal consequences, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved only as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, “Recognizing that negative discriminatory stereotypical attitudes and behaviours have direct implications for the status and treatment of girls and that such negative stereotypes impede the implementation of legislative and normative frameworks that guarantee gender equality and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, “Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General on ending female genital mutilation and the recommendations contained therein, “Welcoming also the in-depth study of the Secretary-General on all forms of violence against women and the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children, and taking note of the recommendations contained therein, “Deeply concerned about discrimination against the girl child and the violation of the rights of the girl child, which often result in less access for girls to education, nutrition and physical and mental health care, in girls enjoying fewer of the rights, opportunities and benefits of childhood and adolescence than boys, and in their often being subjected to various forms of cultural, social, sexual and economic exploitation and to violence and harmful practices, such as female infanticide, rape, incest, early marriage, forced marriage, prenatal sex selection and female genital mutilation, “Welcoming the call for Africa to be free of female genital mutilation, pledged at the African Union second Pan-African Forum on Children: midterm 10-30576 83