Mariana van Zeller takes a look at the tradition of female circumcision in Africa. She travels to rural villages in Sierra Leone with an activist who faces a tough battle to put an end to the practice. Mariana began her journalism career in Portugal, where she was a producer and presenter for SIC TV.
In 2001, she moved to NYC to attend Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. A month into the program, Mariana was reporting live back to Europe on the events of 9/11. Her master's thesis on children asylum
In the fifth year of marking International Day against Female Genital Mutilation, the UN has launched a multi-million dollar program to reduce the practice by 40% over the next seven years. Feb 08, 2008 Everywoman AljazeeraTV report. 11:48 min.