she. documentary. this is news asia coming up on our show today a rite of passage in the philippines every summer thousands of boys are circumcised to mark a step into adulthood we'll tell you why the practice is so widespread and why critics say it is abuse also coming up it was a story that captured international attention a boy soccer team trapped in a cave in thailand for 17 days the site of their miraculous rescue is now a tourist hot spot meanwhile tourism booming at an unlikely place in india we'll tell you why a tour of the slum in mumbai is the country's most popular attraction more popular

than the tot mom. claims. it's great to have you with us today on d.w. news asia. now it's a centuries old rite of passage every year thousands of young boys in the philippines are circumcised the practice is called to look and it's considered an important step into adulthood now according to the world health organization some 90 percent of men in the philippines have been circumcised for non-religious purposes the practice is coming under increased criticism in many countries still remains a widely accepted custom in the philippines. once a year across the philippines they line up in their thousands healthy preteen filipino boys waiting for their names to be called out at makeshift clinics.

but they are not sick nor are the risk from disease they are here for circumcision season. they call it a rite of passage. critics call it human rights abuse. among the need for my mom told me that i needed to get circumcised so i would grow taller and become a real man not for those of us. c in this classroom turned clinic the journey to man who takes 20 minutes 5100 boys will undergo the procedure many without anesthetic but with plenty of peer pressure the word for uncircumcised is also a slower word for a coward. now and be helpful to my family and become a fully fledged adolescent. i say let it burn he said insignias if it's on my lap

to get circumcised it's probably the essence of being a man so for me it's really necessary for boys to get circumcised to be called a man laughing. for centuries removing the 4 skin was rooted in religion here but has now become a social requirement. that it's more of a. it's being i would say even maybe we can call it. being or generation and so there is this expectation that you know. beyond the culture and customs and beyond the philippines there is however a growing debate about the merits and ethics of circumcision especially without consent. and date of use on

a santos has been following the story for us in manila she joins us for more high on a good to see you give us some context on the story how widespread is this practice and how widely accepted is it. from a scene from this typically circumcision season for a young boy here in the field so you'll see that setting the months of april and may and this is summer break classrooms covered courts will be converted into middle clinics where young boys between the ages of 8 to 12 can come in for free circumcision the event called operation or unit being the filipino work for sick and are usually sponsored by local government units or medical fraternity is giving these free operations so interesting that you know usually at the circumcision camps about $300.00 boys will come in the day for this for seizure and this is usually they take advantage of the fact that it's offered for free and it's an

indication really of how well he accepted that of the social room it is for for young boys to. be at this age of $8.00 to $12.00 it's believed is a seat has a right of passage for these young men and it is of course a painful process to all the boys receive anesthesia and proper medical treatment and during and after the process. there have been some old wives tales to me of how you know the braver man. grandfather there is and are out assessed as would do it without anesthesia but honestly i don't i don't. any truth that i've checked also with the department of health and they said that you know this is why they also have these the circumcision clinics at the circumcision counter during the summer which is done in administered by health care professionals so that the boys are properly treated. and everything is done in that's fair and that so this is also to deter people from doing any kind of do it yourself or any kind of yard

circumcision given how we need to be accepted and how prevail and. i know we have to say that the practice of circumcision has come under increased scrutiny worldwide also here in germany in 2012 there was a big debate on this has that affected opinions there at all. i would say that it has not really affected opinions in the philippines it's our 2nd session of have. ever heard of that a bit of the stuff that's going on about it in child abuse but mostly circumcision i would say that they're getting to accept that it is so hard on 1st. practitioners to recognize the house benefits of being hygiene it also has half benefits like you know to see the risk of a.t.m. that's one also there is there's a certain big must see it that way being circumcised is a dog word for it support and it's really use that the pejorative term and it's a taunt for young boys meaning that you're

a coward if you didn't go see this is procedure but this right open during this. circumcision so i don't think you know the practice would be altered or thought of as something different aside from being a rite of passage and clearly get rid of this perception that you know being uncircumcised is. over in our reporter on the sun to speaking to us from manila i'm good to talk to you. kate. now thailand has been marking one year since the dramatic rescue of a boy soccer team trapped in a cave in the north of the country now earlier this week the boys and their soccer coach returned to the cave to honor their rescuers and speak to the media their ordeal has brought a lot of attention to the region and also tourism. reports. small to imagine this is the sites that came so close to tragedy. a bike riding fun run

monkey on a vestry at the dramatic rescue of the 12 going to coach locals are here to raise money to develop the area and propel its transition from sleepy backwater to buzzing tourist hot spot is a project that's transforming the fortunes of this community i knew locals used to come to this area now there is a whole infrastructure built around this the site of the rescue that had the entire world gripped to groups like this one a few looking here to get a firsthand taste of the ordeal the cave itself is currently closed to the public for safety reasons but that hasn't stopped thousands venturing off the beaten track every week to check it out. this is can know it's true a small museum telling the story of the rescue and pay their respects to the try diver who most is now trying to save the boy is. just a shoot from the cave shuttle buses drop tourists at the dozens of students that

have sprung up over the last 12 months giving them a chance to brown's the case marching does take them a memory that is it. been that i'm visiting from laos this is a sacred place that i've heard a lot about i'm really excited to see it i personally think that. by maybe about obama i came here because it's the anniversary of the case and i want to pay my respects to the driver who died. entrepreneurs who flocked to some across the region to cash in on the action they say that incomes have sued. carmack on your body i used to be a housewife but i heard how much money people were earning from tourist sites set up this business. the instant tourism isn't just a local initiative national authorities are also keen to promote the area through the heroic rescue is a massive success story at the time. they plan to release possibly be able to take something sure to boost visitor numbers this is when netflix projects about the

rescue in the sun and people here expects the french international attention to permanently this area in the tourism and. well one of asia's biggest tourist favorites is the taj mahal it's india's number one draw at least it has been until now the world's largest travel site trip advisor has now named a slum for as india's top experience that of the in the city of mumbai is one of the largest slums in asia it's home to more than a 1000000 people and the tour that's getting all the attention is from a company called reality tours and travel it starts at 10 euros and promises to show visitors the authentic india we spoke to one of the founders here's what he says about why he started bringing tourists to that the reason why he started to go on to do. i'm going back to the community you want to not talk to people come look at it. go back more than back so long because this is.

a company. from what do. we go back to the community and reporter hunch and lee has been looking into this story for us thanks for joining us in our studio so of course praise from one and 2 organizers that's not so surprising but this is also a controversial tell us about that trip at pfizer actually most of the reviews of this specific tour have been very positive however there are many different tour operators so if you look at the general page introducing the slum you will find different negative reviews and critical reviews questioning the nature and the practice of such tours for example one uses sas she hated the way the tour guide put such a positive spin on how great all the industries and on a station of the place was she finds it discussed. and then other uses says that he while he does appreciate to see the resourcefulness and the sense of community there but that is happening in the 21st century and it's

a shock show for him we also spoke to some watch it's an engine germany it says while tours can and does destroy stereotypes it can also reinforce it looser tourists and really have to be careful they have a bigger role to play here they should be at eye level with the locals try to understand their lives and they should book tours and that are somewhat education no and basically is saying that attitude and choice determine whether or the whole thing is explodes if you're not only with the story thank you. thank you for watching get your news asia be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter and before we go we'll leave you with images of our rapping granny group welcoming g. 20 leaders to osaka we'll see you next time. oh yeah. i get 00000000.

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