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cover of episode What’s being done to tackle skin-lightening in Nigeria?

What’s being done to tackle skin-lightening in Nigeria?

2025/5/20
logo of podcast What in the World

What in the World
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I
Iqra Farooq
M
Madina Mishenu
Z
Zainab Bashir
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Madina Mishenu: 我采访了Fatima，一位来自尼日利亚北部的母亲，她因为家庭压力和歧视，给她的六个孩子都使用了美白产品。Fatima的母亲更偏爱肤色较浅的孩子，这让她感到非常伤心，并促使她做出了给孩子使用美白产品的决定。我和Fatima的交谈中，了解到她和她的孩子们至今仍面临着污名，因为她女儿的嘴唇变色，经常被误认为是吸毒者，这使得她的女儿无法正常外出。她的小儿子也因为使用美白产品导致皮肤屏障受损，容易受伤，这让Fatima感到非常内疚和痛苦。通过Fatima的案例，我深刻认识到美白产品不仅对身体健康有害，还会对家庭和社会关系造成负面影响。

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The podcast introduces the skin lightening industry, highlighting its global impact and the alarming statistics of its use among Nigerian women. The episode will explore the risks and the efforts to address this issue.
  • Skin lightening is a multi-billion dollar industry.
  • 77% of Nigerian women regularly use skin whitening products.
  • The Nigerian Food and Drug Agency declared a state of emergency on skin bleaching creams.

Shownotes Transcript

Skin-lightening is a multi-billion-dollar industry and impacts many women, and men, around the world. Within the African context, women in Nigeria use skin-whitening products the most: according to the World Health Organization 77% of women use them regularly. The situation is so bad that Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) declared a state of emergency in 2023.

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu has been speaking to a mother who has used skin-whitening products on all six of her children. Madina shares her story, and talks us through the cultural context of why people use these products. We also hear from aesthetician Zainab Bashir about the risks involved with skin-bleaching.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Maria Clara Montoya and Elena Angelides Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde