Young girls in Kenya are often sold into arranged marriages for a dowry of livestock as part of a traditional ceremony which marks their passing into womanhood

Many of the girls are as young as 14. Many Kenyans are also known to practice female genital mutilation, a practice whereby parts of a woman's sexual organs are removed using scissors, a razor blade, or glass before they are sewn up and have their legs bound together until the wounds heal. The tradition is carried out at a much younger age than the forced marriages, in the belief that it will help to keep the girls pure until the time comes for them to undergo the ceremony that will see them become women. However, as the ceremonies are usually carried out by unskilled quack doctors operating miles from any hospital and with no anesthetic or antibiotics, deaths are common due to blood loss or infection.