A villager and former ‘cutter’ in Uganda has revealed the fearsome instrument she used to carry out female genital mutilation on members of her own tribe.
Chepchai Limaa of the Pokot tribe returned to the abandoned cave where girls used to heal after their circumcision, until the practice was banned in 2010.
At the spiritual site near Katabok village, in northeastern Uganda, villagers have reproduced the extravagant ceremony which used to accompany the mutilation, with dancing, singing and even animal sacrifice.
The UN estimates that over 200 million girls and women have experienced FGM, which is a life-threatening procedure that involves the partial or total removal of a woman’s external genitalia.
It comes on the sixth annual International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, with three million girls considered at risk in Africa every year.
Chepchai Limaa of the Pokot tribe used to carry out female genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls in her own tribe in northeastern Uganda
A homemade tool, made from a nail, has been revealed as the horrifying instrument used for female genital mutilation by the Pokot tribe
Former cutter Chepchai Limaa poses in the abandoned cave where young girls rested to heal after their circumcision
People from the Pokot tribe dance in colourful costumes as they reproduce a part of a ceremony which used to accompany the ritual circumcision
This message is displayed at Kalas girls’ primary school in northeastern Uganda, which hosts girls who escaped FGM and protects them from families trying to retrieve them
Spiritual leaders of the Pokot tribe are pictured with arrows as they reproduce part of their female circumcision ceremony
Animal sacrifice was also a part of the circumcision ceremony, as a goat was killed by spiritual leaders of the Pokot tribe
A young boy is pictured washing his body as part of the recreated ceremony. The practice of FGM has been banned in Uganda since 2010
This abandoned cave near Katabok village was where young girls would go to heal and recover after their circumcision
Once girls have been cut, they are deemed ready for marriage and taken out of school – but FGM causes health problems and can be fatal.
Sister Magdalene Nantongo, headmistress of Kalas Girls Primary School which protects girls escaping FGM, is working with the police to ensure girls who come to her are protected from families trying to get them back.
FGM became illegal in Uganda in 2010 but continues in secret, according to officials and police.
It is practised by both Muslim and Christian communities and by followers of some indigenous religions. People often believe FGM is required by religion, but it is not mentioned in the Koran or Bible.
In 2012 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on eliminating FGM, but it remains legal in certain African countries including Mali and Sierra Leone.
Chepchai Limaa has revealed the instrument she used to carry out female genital mutilation on members of her own tribe
The UN estimates that over 200 million girls and women have experienced FGM, which is a life-threatening procedure that involves the partial or total removal of a woman’s external genitalia
Spiritual leaders from the tribe drink water as they imitate the female circumcision ceremony in northeastern Uganda
A number of tribe members are seen sitting in a circle. FGM became illegal in Uganda in 2010 but continues in secret, according to officials and police
Women from the Pokot tribe are pictured dancing with black, red and orange costumes and colourful headgear
Pokot tribe women are pictured singing and dancing before their meeting with journalists on the topic of female genital mutilation
Teenage girls from the Pokot tribe, who no longer practice female genital mutilation, pose in church uniform at Katabok village
An 11-year-old girl of the Pokot tribe looks at a broken food basket, in front of the abandoned cave where girls rested to heal after their circumcision
An 11-year-old girl from the tribe emerges from the healing cave. The UN estimates that three million girls a year are at risk of suffering FGM in Africa