The aberrant practice of female circumcision in Kenya

2. Reuters photographer Siegfried Modola gained
access to a circumcision ceremony in rural
Kenya for young girls of the Pokot tribe, in
Baringo County. Here: Pokot girls walk towards
their homes prior to the beginning of their
circumcision ceremony in a village about 80
kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo
County, Kenya, October 16, 2014. The
traditional practice of circumcision within the
Pokot tribe is a rite of passage that marks the
transition to womanhood and is a requirement
for all girls before they marry. More than a
quarter of girls and women in Kenya have
undergone genital cutting, according to United
Nations data. Despite a government ban on
the life-threatening practice since 2011, the
long-standing tradition remains a rite of
passage, particularly among poor families in
rural areas. (Photos by Siegfried
Modola/Reuters)