"Cultural acceptance does not mean accepting the unacceptable. " Jasvinder Sanghera

"Culture should not be a defense for child abuse"... exactly, and this applies to quite a few things.

"I don't have Elbola don't worry" 2020: "its okay, we're all about Coronavirus now" 😂😂

the most shocking thing is: the mothers that do this to their daughters REALLY think that this is the best thing they can do for them. education is key! such a strong, amazing woman!

"Culture should not be a defense for child abuse!" SING IT!

This lady is so charismatic and strong, I'm glad for her that she got pregnant nevertheless!

"I needed my pain to be worth something." EVERYONE FELT THAT

"you're stronger now", "you're empowered", "you're pure now". These are the words my mom told me when I asked her about the cold room she took me to when I was about 8 years old. A part of me was taken from me, why? just because. A woman that has not been "purified and cleansed" is not a worthy woman. Never in my life, I thought of it as a big deal. I've always thought that everyone has been through it just like I have. But no. It was just an act of honor. Honoring what? you may ask, honoring the name of the family. Never in my whole 20 years long life I have ever felt this much hurt. They took a part of me which I owned. It was one with me. It was my body. They took it away for their own good. I will never forget the day when they took me to that hidden hospital and laid me on the hospital bed in the operations room. I called so much for my mom and told her I will never make her mad again because I thought it was a form of punishment. But she never responded to me. All I remember seeing was her leaving me in the room alone with two nurses and a female doctor. I will never forget the pain. I will never forget the sensation of extreme burning when I tried to use the bathroom. I will never forget the sleepless nights. And they will never be forgiven.

I admire anyone who can crack jokes while discussing such a disturbing topic.

I've never been so happy to hear that a woman was pregnant

She took her pain and turned it into comedy whilst still teaching us, wow, this women is so strong.

My mom was told she couldn’t have kids when she was eighteen by three doctors. Yet she ended up with five kids.

i support her 100%. This must stop

When I was 13, I stayed at my aunties house in Liverpool, Sydney. It was 1996. I was playing outside and there seemed to be a huge party in the house behind the garden. She lived in a block of units. So my cousin and I climbed the fire escape stairs to see what was happening. There was a massive white tent in the middle, music playing (it sounded like belly dancing music that was on a movie I had seen once and I was hoping to see a belly dancer in REAL life! I was EXCITED!) There were woman in long dresses that were absolutely amazing colours and men were all dressed up in long coats, there was food on a table, it looked like an amazing time. We soon got bored and I realised that I probably won't be seeing a belly dancer and we went back to playing. About 40 mins later, I heard it. It's something that I can never describe, there are no words. I heard a girl SCREAMING, Like a scream of absolute terror. I had never heard that kind of scream before and I screamed in response and ran for my aunt. My aunt knew what was happening and gathered us in her arms and ran inside. She closed all the windows and doors and put mary poppins on really loud. I was crying and trying to get her to call the police. She Sat me down and explained to me that the police were called and unfortunately, they couldn't do anything as it was a religious thing and we couldn't legally do anything. I will never be able to forget. I cried for days. How could the parents think that it was ok to do this? Didn't Got make us the way we supposed to be? I'm 36 now. I know the truth now. I could have called the police. Even if they did nothing, I should have reported it. My heart breaks knowing what I know know. If I have any real regrets in my life.... It's that I didn't call myself. Stay strong, you are absolutely amazing woman. Please keep fighting for FGM to be abolished.

I'm 14 and before this I have never heard of fgm. I looked it up and I'm so horrified that this goes on today. I'm so sorry so many young girls go through this. Thank you this amazing strong woman for sharing her story. 🙏

It's scary that some have disliked this video..

I love this woman so much, she somehow managed to make me laugh and cry at the same time

This African Queen deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for her Courage. God bless her child and her.

17:25 "Culture should not be a defense for child abuse"

she’s gonna be an amazing mom

"I need my pain to be worth something."

How could any mother do this to her daughter. It is simply DEMONIC.

You can feel the pain in her voice despite the humour and jokes 😭

A woman from rural Africa with a heavy accent preforming effortlessly in front of thousands of people. If I was in her place, I would find hounded reasons why I can’t preform a TED talk. But she just came up, said everything she meant to say, made everyone in the audience feel a whole bunch of emotions. THAT is true confidence. An amazing woman, truly.

What an absolutely fantastic woman.

She is so strong. I felt like crying the entire time when I was listening to her and appreciate more about what I have.

She’s so cute, I love her! She expresses her anger in such a comedic way and yet, she is so down to earth. This is feminine beauty at its best

Agree with Melissa - No girl should be hurt for being a girl.

Such a beautiful, classy woman, funny, And so brave, you inspire me

sadly i was late to the her petition, the petition ended without it's goal of 15k signs, very sad.

i burst into tears when she said she is pregnant...you are a strong woman khadija. and you're gonna be a very good mother.

I feel so sad for her. She’s a great woman. Imagine the pain...both physical and mental. Hope she lives a good life 🥺

This is actually a nightmare. How do you feel safe around your mum ever again

I'm pausing at 4 minutes and I'm feeling awful, as a male I feel that we were really slow getting to the point of understanding how different perspectives were as male or female. I share these thoughts as i continue to watch your speech. Thank you!

THIS WOMAN IS A HERO!!!! I'm so PROUD that she is standing up for women's right and I'm even more proud that she is from my country. YOU GO KHADIJA may God bless you to keep on with your work!!!

When nobody put their hand up when she said “anyone watched blood diamond?” I literally put my hand up.

Mutilating someone is inexcusable, especially if you’re trying to use your religion/culture as an excuse. I’m glad there’s women out there like her fighting for FGM victims rights.

I cried everyday what they did to me..i from Sierra Leone 🇸🇱

Her humour while discussing such a disturbing subject is amazing.

My parents are both from Sierra Leone. My mother is a victim of FGM. I’ve seen the repercussions, it’s horrifying. Bless this woman for sharing her story.

I wonder who started the practice. Some man who realized women can feel pleasure and was jealous and bitter. I’d never do that to my daughter. I went to a seminar and many older African women were defending the practice and all I could think was brainwashing.

I love this woman! She's so funny, beautiful, and brave to talk so openly about her personal experiences!!!

I didn’t know that FGM can cause infertility. It’s mind blowing how far someone would go to follow traditions.

I feel similarly about circumcision. It's unnecessary child abuse. Great talk!

As an African American woman ... I can see/feel the pain she's covering with humor. I know FGM goes on TODAY. They just convicted a doctor here in Michigan, USA who practiced at a MAJOR medical center. Doing it on the side. PLEASE continue spreading your message.

It's a sad story with a funny explanation. Maybe because of culture, maybe religion but, it's reality of world. We need to say stop. No matter what nationality you are, that affects all of us.

Hearing that " Five months ago, I was told I was pregnant" was the only in the video that I paused at. Khadija's story brings back the call on the equality of women worldwide. The starting of her story matches my own. Proud of the way you have made your childhood experience an epicentre of what you want to do for the rest of your life- Be Blessed wherever you are.

I must pause the video to say, this woman is a beautiful person. I applaud her ability to overcome obstacles and educate others.

John Green said : "you have a choice in this world about how to tell sad stories " and khadidja made the funny choice..People who do that inspires you that nothing is going to last forever , everything is gonna be fine .This faith, this is hope ..thank you Khadidja and good luck.

"I needed my pain to be worth something." - Khadija Gbla

I can't get over how wonderful she did. So charismatic. So passionate. So thought-provoking. She's a real life superhero taking on an issue that must be so painful for her to face every day.

I could listen to this woman all day!

Human bodies are perfect see a new born baby you wouldn't change anything no matter boy or a girl so let them be.

So beautiful. So inspiring. She's so beautiful, in every way possible.

She's such a trooper. With all that she's been through, she's still managed to get pregnant, and help children all around Australia.

She is amazing! So much pain she went through and is so strong and charismatic! I am so happy she got pregnant!

Imagine comparing what happened to her to circumcision. Amazing

These are kinds of women we need in our society. Out spoken fearless, empowered and inspiring.

this is so hard to watch. i could not help but squeam and squirm and hold my legs together tightly and cringe and whimper as she describes what happens to her but i made myself watch this her story is important and i need to know how to share it. she is so strong and charismatic . a true inspiration

So strong, So passionate..She really defines a strong black woman

I was the only one circumcised out of the four of us. My mum didn't know any better when she had me but when she got educated on the topic, it saved my three sisters. I'm always happy for them.

I love her so much. She presents her trauma to the audience with humor at times and at other times she stands in her rage. I don’t know her, but I’m proud of her for not pushing any of those feelings down and for telling her mother how she hurt her. And she talks plainly and so openly about hard things. I love her so much!

This is so barbaric!! Those poor little girls. This lady is very courageous and strong. Thanks to her for sharing her story.

I cried for her! but I know that's not enough.

Gosh the beginning made my stomach turn! How someone could ever do that to anyone let alone a little girl is beyond me..

The way she laughed after she said she was told she was pregnant I was so happy for her she’s gonna be a fantastic mother ❤️

For me as the mother of a young girl and of course a daughter myself, the most harrowing thought in all of this is the betrayal. The thought of how she must have felt as her own mother held her down. I once had to hold my daughter down for blood tests as a baby, as many parents have. The look on her face is burnt into my memory. I did it because she was seriously ill. I knew it had to be done. But I appreciated the traumatic experience it must have been for her. And that was a simple blood test. Nothing to what this poor woman experience as an innocent child. I can't even imagine 😢 My heart breaks for these girls 💔

You made me cry. I'm so proud of you as a African woman. I am an South African

I am laughing and crying at the same time. What a woman. She is so beautiful. Pure goddess. I want to hug my 1 year old daughter and I know that I will never ever let her experience anything like this!!!!

She Will be an amazing mother. How inspiring she is and How ironic that they tried to take the essence of her femininity away, yet here she is, alone at a stage, reeking of woman and all that a woman is at her best. God bless you and your family Khadijah, beautiful gorgeous woman

I'm watching this in 2019, and all of the first comments I see, I can still relate to. This woman is so strong, and confident, and brave. She is an activist for something that isn't talked about much or at all in the media in 2019. This needs to be put out there again.

I love her accent

Love her passion! She's a talented speaker. Thank you Kadijah for using your voice to defend the defenseless.

Omg I have sooooooo much respect for this woman...cracking jokes while talking about this horrible, traumatic experience and life after that.... I’m soooooooo happy for her she got pregnant!! ❤️❤️❤️

And I remember my Anthropology teacher saying it was normal, we just didn't understand other cultures. Yeah, all it is, is violence against women and children :'(

I cried and applaud when she said she was pregnant. It made me so happy as of she was someone I personally know

"I needed my pain to be worth something." That is a powerful tool.

you know someone is an excellent storyteller when they can make you cry and then immediately make you laugh, and then cry again. I was listening to this in the background while doing something else, but she pulled me in instantly. she did a great job of educating on FGM abuse. what an amazing, memorable storyteller.

HAHAHHA "I don't have ebola don't worry"

The severity of FGM or MGM does not matter what matters is the fact that this is done without people's consent. So it does not matter if you think FGM is worse or that MGM is worse. What matters is that people get a say on what happens to their bodies.

I cried when she talked about her therapist.

I remember watching a French film, it was about FGM. It was so painful to watch, am so inspired by this lady. She is intelligent and hilarious, she has told her painful story in a funny way 🧡😍😍

We need to end FGM. We need to spread the word this needs to stop

When she said she was told she was pregnant, I just started crying. :) Bless her sweet, strong soul.

She is one of the most powerful women... We are proud of you Khadija

6 years and this video has consistently been watched! Khadija, your message is still reaching people. Thank you for your bravery, your passion, and your dedication to ending this abuse against women and girls.

signed your petition...just now after seeing your video...loved your talk.

how do you leave your kid bleeding like that and just move on..what

Can't imagine what she went through. Such a brave woman, this must never happen again

My mom abused me - after being abused herself. In so-called «safe» Norway. You are great, Khadija. 🌼PETITION SIGNED.

Well spoken and empowering. May we see the end to FGM in this decade.

I heard a story of FGM from my friend when I was 13, I didn't know the reason at that time but I'm terrified to my core. How could someone do this to their own daughter.

she is hilarious. im one minute in and i love her already

FGM should have been abolished long time ago, the cases in kenya and across the world should make it evident that it should no longer exist

She is the type of person we need in the world, plus she’s hilarious. This is how to get through to people.

I went through FGM at a very young age and now have all sorts of troubles. For the people saying its not religion its culture, Im sure its both as many others say in the comments talking about their personal stories and what their parents have told them. Either way needs to stop

How can mothers do this to their daughters?

Thank you for sharing your story. It was very painful to here what happened. I as a 16 year old Australian woman give you the apology you deserve and the love and support you need for your endeavours. Thank you for helping those girls

She needs to do comedy, she’s intelligent and hilarious.

I think I'm in love with this woman. She is amazing!