Khadija Gbla
Khadija Gbla is a Sierra Leonean-born activist known for her work against female genital mutilation (FGM) and her advocacy for sexual health. After her family fled to The Gambia during the Sierra Leone Civil War, Gbla underwent the traumatic experience of FGM as a child, which left her with lasting physical and emotional challenges. In 2001, she resettled in Australia as a refugee and later became aware of the severe implications of FGM, prompting her to confront her mother and pursue activism.
Gbla graduated from Flinders University with degrees in international studies and law and actively engaged in community education on sexual health. She founded the Desert Flower Centre to provide reconstructive care for FGM survivors, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. Recognized by various organizations, including Amnesty International, Gbla has earned accolades such as South Australia's 50 Most Influential Women and has spoken at significant forums, including the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting. Her TED Talk, which has garnered over a million views, further highlights her commitment to empowering women and raising awareness about FGM and its consequences. Gbla continues to inspire and advocate for young women, emphasizing the importance of bodily autonomy and the right to live free from harm.
Khadija Gbla
Activist
- Born: Ca. 1988
- Birthplace: Sierra Leone
Significance: Khadija Gbla is an Australian activist who campaigns for women’s sexual health and against female genital mutilation (FGM). She is an FGM survivor. She worked as the executive director of No FGM Australia until 2018 when she founded the Desert Flower Centre, a organization that provides reconstructive care free of charge to FGM survivors. She also does public speaking.
Background
Gbla was born in Sierra Leone. When she was three, her family were forced from their home and became refugees after war broke out in Sierra Leone. They settled in The Gambia, a West African nation to the north of Sierra Leone. When Gbla was young, she wanted to be a doctor. In The Gambia, her mother decided that she would be subjected to a practice called female genital mutilation (FGM). She took Gbla to a remote part of the country and paid an older woman to use a rusty knife to cut off her clitoris and labia minora lips. Gbla said they left her there bleeding and crying, and that they never spoke about it again. This is a common practice in some parts of the world, and is legal in many countries.
In 2001, a thirteen-year-old Gbla arrived in Adelaide, Australia, as a refugee. She attended Mitcham Girls High School from 2001 to 2006. As a teen, she suffered crippling menstrual periods due to her FGM procedure. She said she felt confused reading about raging hormones during puberty because she felt nothing but numbness in her genital area. As a young person in Australia, Gbla volunteered with a health organization and learned about FGM. This is when she realized what had happened to her as a child. She also learned that FGM is a problem in Australia, with an estimated eleven girls facing the risk of it each day. She confronted her mother, who did not apologize and said she did it out of love. At this point, Gbla decided to become an activist against FGM.
Gbla went on to study at Flinders University from 2006 to 2012, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and law. During her time in college, she served as a peer educator on sexual health. She also served as the community liaison officer for Multicultural Youth of Australia from 2007 to 2008. While there, she organized a forum for young refugees. Gbla earned a number of certificates in subjects like family and community services and female genital mutilation.
Life’s Work
Gbla is an outspoken advocate for sexual health and against FGM, which she calls child abuse. She said she wants to empower young women to stand up for themselves and tell others that it is their body and no one gets to hurt them for any reason. After completing college, Gbla worked as executive assistant for Multicultural Youth of Australia for less than a year. In 2014, she started with Shine SA, where she worked on sexual health community education. That same year, she also became the executive director of No FGM Australia, serving in that role until 2018 when she founded the Desert Flower Centre. The goal of the center is to provide reconstructive non-surgical trauma-informed care free of charge to FGM survivors. It was the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region.
Gbla is an ambassador for a number of organizations such as SisterWorks, a non-profit organization that supports refugee and migrant women to become economically empowered. She has represented Australia at the Harvard National Model United Nations and Commonwealth Youth Forum. She has also worked as a professional model since 2019.
Impact
Gbla has brought attention to FGM in Australia and around the world. She has received a number of accolades for her work including The Advertiser South Australia’s 50 most Influential Women (2014) and The Advocate for Acceptance Human Rights Award (2019). She has been a finalist for a number of other awards including Women's Weekly Qantas Women of the Future Award (2016), AusMumpreneur Rising Star Award (2016), and Cosmopolitan Magazine Humanitarian of the Year Award (2016). She was the 2015 keynote speaker for the Commonwealth heads of state meeting in Malta. Gbla’s October 2014 Ted Talk in Canberra has been viewed more than 1 million times.
Personal Life
Gbla was told she was infertile for years, but In 2015, she had her first child with her husband. During her pregnancy, she told The Guardian that she was afraid of complications with the birth due to the ignorance on FGM among Australian doctors.
Bibliography
Abay, Georgie. “Khadija Gbla On Surviving Trauma & Being An Anti-FGM Campaigner.” The Grace Tales, 18 May 2021, thegracetales.com/khadija-gbla-on-surviving-trauma-being-an-anti-fgm-campaigner-episode-45-of-the-grace-tales-podcast/. Accessed 26 June 2023.
“Achievement.” KhadijaGbla.com, www.khadijagbla.com.au/achievements. Accessed 26 June 2023.
Gbla, Khadija. “‘I Am One of Those 200 Million Girls Alive Today Who Has Experienced Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)’.” The Guardian, 27 June 2022, www.plan.org.au/news/advocacy/i-am-one-of-those-200-million-girls-alive-today-who-has-experienced-female-genital-mutilation-fgm/. Accessed 26 June 2023.
Horton, Shelly. “‘I Told My Mother, “This Ends With Me”’: The Moment That Sealed Khadija Gbla’s Incredible Mission.” Nine Entertainment Co., 2022, honey.nine.com.au/latest/khadija-gbla-interview-female-genital-mutilation/9f91c371-f12b-4e8f-9b25-46b9e5a3767a. Accessed 26 June 2023.
Jabour, Bridie. “I Don’t Like Being the Face of FGM, says Australian Survivor, but I Must Break the Silence.” The Guardian, 1 Jan. 2015, www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/02/i-dont-like-being-the-face-of-fgm-says-australian-survivor-but-i-must-break-the-silence. Accessed 26 June 2023.
“Khadija Gbla.” Refugee Council of Australia, 19 Sept. 2021, www.refugeecouncil.org.au/khadija-gbla/. Accessed 26 June 2023.
Ross, Isabella. “Khadija Gbla is a Survivor of Female Genital Mutilation. She Is Breaking the Silence.” MamaMia, 9 Mar. 2022, www.mamamia.com.au/female-genital-mutilation-khadija-gbla/. Accessed 26 June 2023.