Advance unedited versidn CAT/C/56/D/613/2014 . authorities. According to various public sources FGM is widespread in Guinea, affecting 96.9% of all gids and women in Guinea, despitethe fact that the pràctice is prohibited by law. 5 It· occurs across all religious and ethnic grOlips and geographical areas. The percentage of women who have been cut is highest among the Peul, the ethnic group to which the complainant belongs. At the same time, the Guinean authorities are working to eradicate this practice through information and prevention campaigns in cooperation with international organizations, such UNICEF and WHO. Some of the campaigns have led to positive -albeit modest'" developments. The State party points out that the incidence of FGM is falling in urban are as and - although to alesser extent - in rural areas. According to the population survey of 2012, genital mutilation had been carried out on 14% of girls aged 0--4 at the time, 51 % of girls aged 5--9 and 80% of girls aged 10--14 (75% in urban areas and 82% in rural areas). There were differences between the Kissi (64%) and Peul (91 %) ethnic groups, between uneducated (81 %) and educated (74%) women and between poor (92%) and rich (68%) women; It is highly unlikely that the oldest gids in thel0--14 age group who have not been cut will ever be subjected to genital mutilation; There is no age limit, but figures show that only 2.4% of women are subjected to genital mutilation while aged 15 or older. Among the 15 to 19 year olds surveyed, 1.2% were subjected to genital mutilation while in this age category. . 4.11 '. Furthermore, according to public sources gids who are 14 -years old or older can avoid FGM, especially those who live in cities, where there is less social control than in the villages. Today, more and more parents, especially those who live in cities and those who . are well educated, do not want their daughters to be cut and so they protect them until they are grown. Once grown, the young woman can decide for hers elf whether she wishes . to undergo genital cutting. According to the sources consulted for the country report issued on 20 June 2014, the situation for girls and women in Guinea who have not been cut and wish to avoid genital mutilation has improved somewhat since the country report of March 2013. Many girls who wish to avoid the social pressure of village life move in with relatives in the city. A Gid who goes to the city but has no family there is directed to the chef de quartier. He fmds her a community in the city and they take her in (even if only temporarily) and help her to fi~d ajob. 4.12 As to the .complainant's case, the State party points out that the authörities conducted an investigation in her country of origin to confmn her statement.s, thereby alleviating the burden of proof placed upon her to establish the veracity of her accounts. In thisconnection, she was interviewed several times during her asylum application procedures and questioned on the facts and circumstances of her departure from Guinea. She was also given the opportunity to submit corrections and additions to the reports of these interviews, and to respond to the notifications of intenf to deny her asylum applications. The asylum procedures thus offered her sufficient opportunities to satisfactorily establish the veracity of her accounts. Those accounts were carefully assessed by the IND and reviewed by. an independent court as well as by the Administrative Jurisdiction Division. Although die human rights situation in Guinea gives cause for concern, in view of information from various public sources,6 the State party maintains that 5 6 The State party refers to the CommitteeConc1uding observations on the state report of Guinea on implementation of the Convention against Torturè, 20 lune 2014, para. 17; US Department of State, Country Report onHuman Rights Practices for 2013 - Guinea, 27 February 2014; and its Minister of Foreign Mfairs' Country Report, 20 June2014. Country reportofthe Minister of Foreign Affairs of20 June 2014. (http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/docuinenten-- en--publicaties/ambtsberichten/2014/06/23/guinee--2014-06--20.html), US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 Guinea, 27 February 2014. 7 Bron: www.ohchr.org - Stichting Migratierecht Nederland - www.migratieweb.nl