A Reuters photographer documented a circumcision ceremony for young girls of the Pokot tribe in rural Kenya. The traditional practice of circumcision within the Pokot tribe is a rite of passage that marks the transition to womanhood and is required before marriage. However, the practice remains common in poor, rural areas despite being banned by the Kenyan government in 2011 due to its life-threatening nature.

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)