Bonus: What in the world - Africa and FGM: When will it end?
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 6 June 2024
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Female genital mutilation affects around 230 million women and girls globally, with rates highest in Africa. FGM is considered a human rights violation and has no health benefits. That’s according to World Health Organisation. Hibo Wardere, a survivor from Somalia, recounts her ordeal and discusses the importance of education in ending the practice.
The Gambia banned FGM in 2015, but it could be about to reverse this. BBC journalist Esther Ogola, who’s based in Nairobi, explains why. We also hear how Kenya has more than halved its victims - and discuss the likelihood of the practice ending by 2030, which is the UN’s goal.
To find out more of what is going on in the world search for "What in the World" wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Note: This episode contains some graphic descriptions of FGM.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From the BBC World Service, this is the documentary, the home of original storytelling. |
| 0:05.5 | I'm Hannah Gellbart and I'm here to tell you about our podcast What in the World, |
| 0:09.2 | which helps you make sense of what's happening in your world. |
| 0:12.4 | This is a bonus episode and we're looking at |
| 0:14.7 | female genital mutilation in Africa and when it will be brought to an end. But before we start, |
| 0:20.4 | some of what you're about to hear may be upsetting because some of the descriptions |
| 0:24.4 | are quite graphic. |
| 0:32.4 | Every cut was absolutely an immediate whoosh of fire. |
| 0:40.0 | That's Heboe. She went through FGM when she was just six years old and she's one of more than 230 million girls and women worldwide who've had it done to them. |
| 0:49.2 | It's a huge problem in the world. Three million women and girls are at risk every year of FGM. |
| 0:57.0 | We are saying it as a human rights abuse that has to be addressed by everyone. |
| 1:01.0 | The Gambia made FGM a crime punishable by up to three years in prison |
| 1:05.1 | back in 2015. Less than ten years later, Parliament is taking steps to |
| 1:10.4 | overturn that ban. Campaigners fear that a lack in adequate data collection is masking a much larger problem. |
| 1:18.0 | The World Health Organization describes FGM as a human rights violation and it says it has no health benefits. |
| 1:25.2 | It wants to end the practice around the world by 2030 and this practice is most common in Africa. |
| 1:32.0 | 28 countries there have passed laws against it, but |
| 1:34.6 | controversially the Gambia is now trying to make it legal again. |
| 1:39.6 | First of all let's get some of the facts. I've been speaking to Esther |
| 1:46.3 | Agola in Kenya, she's a BBC reporter who covers women's affairs in Africa. |
| 1:50.5 | Hi Esther. Hi, Hannah, how are you? I'm good thank you. So what exactly is |
| 1:54.6 | FGM and where does it happen? So FGM or female genital mutilation if |
... |
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