There's more to it than mutilation. It's called Female Genital Mutilation, but, in some places it's woven into a rite of passage for girls that involved education, induction and celebration.
It's part of a joyful community occasion but it's also painful, dangerous and now in Kenya, illegal.
Making something illegal doesn't eliminate it. In Londiani, Kenya, they've come up with an alternative rite for girls - education, induction and celebration. But no cutting.
Is it a substitute for the traditions of centuries? Is it culturally-valid?
An Irish charity are involved in the seminars and workshops which throws up its own questions about outsider influence.
In this documentary, Mairéad Cullen touches on all these issues in a story that is more about bringing about change in a culture without killing it.
Mairéad travelled to Kenya with the assistance of the Simon Cumbers Media Fund.
The Irish charity involved in the area is called Friends of Londiani
Sound editor: Michael Mc Namara
'Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries - and the largest collection of documentary podcasts available for podcasting anywhere in the podcast world'
February 2012
The Curious Ear is produced by Ronan Kelly curiousear@rte.ie