Beading

It is insane to me that an object used for beauty of glitz in one culture signifies rape, pedophilia, and infanticide in another.  Until I came across this article on CNN.com, I had never heard of the Kenyan practice of beading.  Now, I will never look at a beaded necklace the same. 

In a nutshell, a man places a beaded necklace around the neck of a girl as young as 6, effectively claiming her as his personal sex slave.  If she becomes pregnant, she is expected to abort the fetus, allow it to be killed after birth, or given away.

Defenders of the practice claim that it prevents young girls from being promiscuous.  But I am certain the results would be less traumatic on the girls if they were allowed their sexual freedom.  The society as a whole would also benefit.  Pregnancies would still occur.   But the risk of birth defects would decrease, because many times the rapists are direct relatives of their victims.  Granted, these babies are often killed, the ones given to friends or neighbors, or to orphanages probably suffer needlessly from genetic disorders. 

But all of these facts that seem so clear to me would not make any sense to the Samburu tribe.  Their vocabulary doesn't include terms like "genetic" or "infanticide."  I give so much credit to Kulea for standing up against the traditions of her homeland.  I know from experience how difficult this can be.  Your family and friends shun you for going against everything everyone has believed in for generations.  Hopefully, her hard work will open the eyes of others to join the fight against a practice that sounds wonderful at first glance, until you actually read about it.