Daniel Howden reports that female genital mutilation is proving to be an extremely difficult practice to eradicate in Kenya. Frightened young girls would typically sit naked on a rock; once female genital mutilation is complete, their excised clitorises would be thrown to the birds.

Uncut girls, sometimes referred to as “raw” as opposed to mutilated “ripe” women, can expect to be shunned by their neighbours. They are forced to walk for miles to fetch water so they don’t “contaminate” pumps and wells; local midwives even refuse to deliver their “unclean” babies.

Shelters have now been set up to help unmutilated women.