A/HRC/27/36 Women and regional declarations and protocols. These were encouraging signs of the international community’s increased commitment to ending this harmful practice. At the national level, several States had adopted legislation and policies to address female genital mutilation, which had been accompanied by more culturally sensitive education and awareness-raising initiatives. 7. The High Commissioner pointed out that the global prevalence of female genital mutilation had declined by five per cent between 2005 and 2010, and that, based on the current annual decrease of 1 per cent, the target of reducing its prevalence by half would not be achieved until 2074. Sixty years was too long to wait. The High Commissioner therefore called for concerted efforts by national and international stakeholders to address female genital mutilation with urgency, adding that, once freed of the terrible pain and trauma that such practices cause, girls and women were more able to develop their talents and use their skills, and economic, social and political development could surge forward. III. Panel presentations and discussions 8. Chantal Compaoré stated that, aided by awareness-raising campaigns and dissuasion measures, the prevalence rate for female genital mutilation had declined at varying rates in all countries. Specifically, in Burkina Faso, in the past 20 years, the prevalence rate had declined from 20 per cent for children up to 10 years of age to 13.3 per cent for children up to 14 years. In the light of the success of awareness-raising and publicity campaigns, it was important to continue to support them and for Governments to adopt a zero-tolerance policy of female genital mutilation. Some 130 to 140 million girls and women worldwide had been subjected to female genital mutilation. Ms. Compaoré highlighted some of the root causes of the practice, including cultural and social acceptance of circumcision. In certain settings, the clitoris was considered an unhealthy organ, and its excision was thought to be a way to preserve the virginity of young girls and to ensure fidelity after marriage. Female genital mutilation was therefore a tool for controlling women’s sexuality. Girls who were not “cut” were often perceived as carrying a disease. The practice was continued owing to fear of social exclusion and discrimination. 9. In order to combat the practice, it was necessary to establish institutional frameworks. Ms. Compaoré pointed out that, in her three decades of work on the issue, a number of policies had proven to be effective in combating the practice, including such institutional arrangements as committees, associations and adolescent networks, as well as efforts to bring together religious leaders and the introduction of female genital mutilation modules to the educational system. It was ultimately important to ensure support for girls who had already been subjected to genital mutilation in order to restore their sense of dignity. Advocacy through high-level meetings had ensured that female genital mutilation was part of the international agenda. 10. Hiranthi Wijemanne stated that, from the perspective of children’s rights, there should be zero tolerance for female genital mutilation, which was a discriminatory practice that almost always targeted girls and denied their rights to freedom from violence and abuse, besides being a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 11. Ms. Wijemanne pointed out that the Committee on the Rights of the Child had advocated for the practice to be abandoned, because it affected the right to health of girls and was often a prerequisite for forced marriage. Unfortunately, there were still gaps in both law and practice. She called for changes in legislation to be accompanied by access to services and legal literacy programmes, the establishment of an enabling environment for laws to be enforced, and a coordinated approach that also addressed the issues of gender 4