E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.2 page 28 genocide or crimes against humanity. The fact that crimes against women, in particular rape, forced pregnancy and sexual slavery, have been incorporated in the statute of the International Criminal Court is to be applauded.113 4. Clothing restrictions 101. Many women across the world are subjected to particularly strict clothing requirements, as, for example, in countries where the State imposes a specific vision of society, ethics and public morality. The study “Racial discrimination and religious discrimination: identification and measures”, prepared by the Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance for the Preparatory Committee of the World Conference against Racism, shows that women in many countries are believed to experience serious restrictions in the areas of education and employment as well as outside those spheres and are apparently required to wear what is described as Islamic dress (A/CONF.189/PC.1/7, para. 110). 102. In other cases, women themselves claim the right to wear clothing which, according to them, is in keeping with their religion. As was stated in the second study prepared by the Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance for the Preparatory Committee of the World Conference against Racism and entitled “Racial discrimination, religious intolerance and education”, this shows the problem relating to the consistency of a particular notion of religion and freedom of religion with other principles laid down in international law or constituting the very foundations of education in some States (A/CONF.189/PC.2/22, paras. 54 and 56 to 59). Yet, in many countries, the wearing of the veil does not have only one meaning. It often has a puritanical and protective function and in some cultures its original function has been distorted and it has become a symbol of coquetry or seduction.114 B. Practices harmful to women’s health 103. The status of women in the light of traditions was brought to international public attention primarily through one specific issue which poses a serious threat to the health of girls and whose medical aspect alarmed human rights stakeholders, being subsequently classified as a form of violence against women. Female genital mutilation thus calls for detailed analysis but without overlooking other practices detrimental to women’s health. 1. Female genital mutilation 104. Of all practices harmful to the health of women, the most known and the most publicized in the media is female genital mutilation or female circumcision or excision. It has long received the attention of international human rights organizations and bodies and is one of the main focuses of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children. It involves removal of all or part of the female genital organs. WHO figures quoted by the Special Rapporteur indicate that there are estimated to be between 85 and 115 million sexually mutilated women and girls in Africa and Asia. According to the same sources, two million girls are at risk of undergoing genital mutilation each year115 (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1995/6, para. 21). This practice, whose forms vary from country to country, is reportedly prevalent in 26 African countries, in countries of Asia and among immigrant communities in Europe and America and also in Jewish Ethiopian and Bedouin communities in Israel.116 Yet the historical origins of female genital mutilation are shrouded in mystery. What