பெண் பிறப்புறுப்பு அழித்தல்: பழங்குடி விழாவில்.. இளம் கென்ய பெண்கள் – படங்கள்
the practice, traditional in some cultures, of partially or totally removing the external genitalia of girls and young women for nonmedical reasons. It is illegal in many countries
WARNING: Graphic images
Despite being banned three years ago, the tradition of circumcising girls is still practiced in many rural parts of Kenya. Reuters photographer Siegfried Modola captured these pictures of four girls taking part in a ceremony in Pokot, a village about 80 kilometres from the town of Marigat in Baringo County.
The traditional practice of circumcision is a rite of passage that marks the transition to womanhood and is a tribal 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
“It’s a tradition that has been happening forever,” said the father of one of the girls, who asked not to be named fearing reprisal from the authorities. “The girls are circumcised to get married. It’s a girl’s transition into womanhood.”
Wrapped in bright coloured shawls, the girls spend the night huddled around a fire in a thatched-roof house, as local women gather to sing and dance in support.
One woman falls into a trance after sipping a local wine.
At its most extreme, circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation, involves cutting off the clitoris and external genitalia, then stitching the vagina to reduce a woman’s sexual desire.
Practitioners use anything from razor blades to broken glass and scissor
The United Nation’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says more than 125 million women have been cut in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, where genital mutilation is carried out.
Circumcision is heavily practiced among the Pokot community, and the girls’ mothers believe it is a sign of strength.
The pain will make her strong. She can show the rest of the community that she can endure it,” one woman said, after her daughter was circumcised by a Pokot elder.
Kenyan law provides for life imprisonment when a girl dies from the procedure, which in addition to excruciating pain, can cause hemorrhage, shock and complications in childbirth
The Kenyan authorities set up a prosecution unit in March and is currently investigating 50 cases.
Officials are optimistic they can force a change in attitudes, but still worry that the practice is too ingrained for legal threats to have any real impact.
“We face a myriad of challenges,” said Christine Nanjala, who heads the prosecuting unit. “You will find the practice is something highly valued. You will keep quiet and you will not report it – if you do, you face reprisal.”
Still, Nanjala was optimistic that genital cutting would be eventually wiped out. “Not tomorrow but it will end, she said. “At the end of the day, without hope, you have nothing.”