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Harmful traditional practices exist world over. For whatever reason a society may justify its application of a practice, the bottom line often is that these practices legitimise and perpetuate various forms of violence against women, denying them the opportunity to achieve their full potential as productive members of society. From female genital mutilation, the forced feeding of women to make them more visually pleasing to men, early marriage, the various taboos and practices that prevent women from controlling their own fertility, son preference, female infanticide, to early pregnancy and bride price.

We sat down with Violet Murunga, a Senior Knowledge Translation Officer at the Institute to delve into the dynamics of such practices to understand which practices are common in Kenya, why they persist, the areas in which they are the most prevalent as well as what can be done about them to ease the burden they bear on women and girls in society.