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A man holds a girl as she tries to escape when she realised she is to to be married, about 80 km (50 miles) from the town of Marigat in Baringo County, Kenya, December 7, 2014. As Pokot tradition dictates, the future husband arrived to her family home with a group of men to collect the girl. The men arrived with the last settled dowry of livestock for the girl's family. In this case it was 20 goats, three camels and 10 cows, given during a period of several weeks. The remaining 10 cows were to be given the morning the girl was taken to her new home by her husband and the rest of the men. The girl was unaware of the marriage arrangements that her father had made. The family said that if they had told her in advance she might have run away from home. In the Pokot tradition, parents give their daughters as wives usually at the beginning of their adolescence. The Pokots have developed social structure and practices that aim to optimise the chance of survival of each household in an often difficult and hostile environment. The girls are ready for marriage after an initiation ceremony marking their passing over into womanhood. (Photo by Siegfried Modola/Reuters)
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