There are about 30 million Kurds, predominantly spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. As minorities, Kurds often face restrictive laws on language, schooling and other rights.

Sidar Bengin Epozdemir, a Netherlands-born Kurd, believes the only way to guarantee the rights of Kurds is through an independent state. But Iraq-born Kurd Mariwan Hama-Saeed thinks the Kurds are not an endangered people, and that independence is a distraction from more important issues.

Take a listen to this segment as we ask if the Kurds have a right to an independent state.

Below you can hear the rest of this week's programme.

Disabled and dependent
Nick is a quarterback-sized 18-year-old who can easily overpower his tiny mother. But Nick is not independent in any way: he cannot feed himself, he cannot talk, and he’s not always continent. Nick is severely intellectually disabled and his mother Mary Lou talks about the fear she shares with every parent who has a severely handicapped child; what will happen to their child when they die?

Independent seniors
A new kind of senior’s network in Washington is helping elderly people stay in their homes instead of being forced into care facilities. The system is simple, it’s all about people helping people to live independently.

The Prince of Sealand
Prince Michael rules over one of the world’s smallest independent principalities. He inherited the rule of Sealand from his father. But what does independence mean in a place which is not much more than a small metal perch on the North Sea?

Freedom from slavery
Fanny Clonch fought an extraordinary battle for her own independence. After her grandmother died, she was held as a child slave in Morocco and France until she siezed the opportunity to escape.

All people are equal
Gathering ethnic and racial statistics is forbidden according to the French constitution which declares all people to be equal. But some argue that gathering racial data could help fight discrimination. We find out why.