Affecting one out of every four girls, the brutal practice of "breast ironing" is on the rise in the African country of Cameroon. The procedure -- which involves the flattening of a young girl's growing breasts with hot stones, coconut shells and other objects -- is considered a way to curb the country's staggering number of teenage pregnancies, particularly high in rural areas, as well as limit the risk of sexual assault.
According to a new report by CurrentTV, Cameroonian mothers believe breast ironing will protect their daughters from becoming pregnant and being assaulted in that it will postpone their development and men will not be enticed by their breasts. With dietary habits in the country improving, girls are beginning to hit puberty as young as 9, and are subject to the practice around at the same age.
Though only limited medical research has been done on the practice, Cameroonian women say breast ironing can lead to numerous physical issues, such as burns and deformations, not to mention psychological problems. The procedure has been compared to the custom of female circumcision/genital mutilation.
Watch the short documentary on breast ironing here -- Warning: Contains nudity
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Breast IRONING! How could anyone ever think this was OK. I'm sure it is hurtful enough that some women have to endure having the breast removed due to cancer and disease and these young girls have their mothers forcing "this" upon them. Its sad because their reasoning behind it is to prevent rape and early pregnancy. Then the men who commit rape or get the child pregnant probably do not have to suffer at all!
Tricey: Breast IRONING! How could anyone ever think this was OK.
I just cannot imagine such an experience being done by my mother. Mothers are the only sanctuary in the world to a child. And really, if they cared that much, shouldn't the education be towards their sons, telling them that having sex with someone underage isn't helpful? Oh.. but is Cameroon Catholic? Is this the result of no contraceptives? What kind of society condones such behavior?
Angie_Daniels: I just cannot imagine such an experience being done by
Why in these countries in Africa, the women are blamed for the atrocities of men? Why the women in these countries must mutilate their bodies to please or stop these men from enticement? It’s just another way for men to control these women. And it must be the women in these countries that must scream "ENOUGH!!" and stop this. If not them, for the next generation of women.
bolmah: Why in these countries in Africa, the women are blamed
I agree. Too often, mothers wound and traumatize their daughters because their own mothers did the same things to them. The traditional reasoning that, "What was 'good' for me, is good for my child, simply perpetuates a sadistic, patriarchal atrocity. However, I would also say that male circumcision, in infancy and beyond adolescence, is an abominably bizarre practice, too.
Mari_McAvenia: I agree. Too often, mothers wound and traumatize their daughters
how is it that you accept FEC as a user, yet over about a year, i've commented, in quite rationale, if non-feminist ways, on stories, and not a ONE of my comments has been printed? do you hate/marginalize men who don't abide the feminist party line?
it's amazing; a miniscule number of girls undergo this practice even as thousands of tiny, helpless baby boys here in America undergo genital mutilation EVERY DAY, yet you'd have us believe that all media and every available resource go to this miniscule number of girls, rather than EVER write about the daily BARBARISM that is perpetrated unto tiny helpless baby boys in THIS country. its amazing. same storyline, "religious or cultural" rationale, but genital mutilation nonetheless that serves ZERO medical purpose in 99.99% of all cases. again, not a PEEP from the this site. Just these continuous stories about the permanent "victim class" of women and girls in far off lands or here in the USA. also, the VAST majority of murders, assaults, extreme violence that occurs on planet earth is perpetrated against MALES; yet rape is all we hear about on this site. this is so alice in wonderland. MEN AND BOYS ARE MURDERED, SENT TO WARS TO BE MURDERED, VICTIMIZED IN SO MANY MORE WAYS THAN ANY
FEMALE EVER WILL BE, YET FROM YOUR STORIES/COMMENTS, YOU'D THINK THAT ALL FEMALES ARE ONE INSTANT AWAY FROM DEATH OR MUTILATION...EVEN AS EVERY MAN AND BOY ACTUALLY IS. PREPOSTEROUS.
Preposterous indeed. If you want to get really riled up, read some of the comments here. Instead of condemning this abhorrent practice, many posters are calling for its expansion to the male population. Actually advocating torture and mutilation! Instead of realizing that sex is natural among young people who've reached puberty, they (surprise) blame males for the sex, as if females have no desire. Reading them you'd think all sex were rape. And omisade7's comments are nothing short of a call for women to arm themselves and start shooting men.
dim: Preposterous indeed. If you want to get really riled up,
It is marginalizing men to discuss the practice of breast ironing in your view? Discussing it is "abiding by the feminist party line"? How fragile you are. You are free to not read the article if such "feminist topics" offend you.
Aerows: It is marginalizing men to discuss the practice of breast
The article is not offensive, but a lot of the posts here are (read my response above). Can't speak for fec, but in my case it's not fragility, it's disgust.
dim: The article is not offensive, but a lot of the
It doesnt matter whether its the anti-abortion people trying to stop abortion, Brazil banning abortion, or Africa with its genital mutilation or breast ironing-- societies are always looking a way to control women's sexuality.
Nyah_Molineaux: It doesnt matter whether its the anti-abortion people trying to
Thank you HP for this post - you see, Western Countries do not believe that Evil is taking place in the world because we DO NOT SEE evil on a daily basis...what ever happened to the Save Darfur movement?
xenu12: Thank you HP for this post - you see, Western
Fall into degradation when the ignorant and wretch in the populace was given titles and weaponry to create chaos in this country to destabilize them. If you give a vulnerable populace devices to destabilize societies (guns for gangbanging, infusing AIDS from a scientific approach, incurring major debt by the IMF, subver leaders placed in power by shadowy figures...) after decades you have degradation.
omisade7: Fall into degradation when the ignorant and wretch in the
My comment wasn't only about the girls being tortured in the article. Boys are circumcized as babies in the "civilized" world, and as a rite to adulthood in primitive societies. Thats not to mention the horrific mutilation of female circumcision. Throw in ritual scarring and other ridiculous things, such as the past practice of foot-binding, and a picture is painted.
Also, although the practice in question may not be relgious per se, in nature it has religious or pseudo religious connections almost every time.
TobusRex: My comment wasn't only about the girls being tortured in
I agree. Whoever started these tortorous practices of ironing breast and cutting off labias is twisted. These people got so much work to do. The main focus in life is survival. For some unforseen reason their is a destructive undercurrent in these cultures permeated by male dominance. They need to revert back to matrineal systems because if not they will perish.
omisade7: I agree. Whoever started these tortorous practices of ironing breast
Why is it that in the third world, all the problems always seem to be "solved" with the victimization of women? Raping virgins to "cure" AIDS, rape as a warfare tactic, selling young women and little girls into marriage, "honor" killings, dowry practices...it never seems to end.
TraceyES: Why is it that in the third world, all the
Extreme poverty, little or no education, tyrannical regimes which are cruel to their people, and where women are considered little better than dirt...
Take your pick. These horrors are symptoms of the problems. Before the women's rights movements in America it was considered good practice for a man to beat his wife with a 1-2" diameter dowel.
Be grateful for the feminist movement, and support agency that will fight for womens rights around the world.
jmorgan1981: Extreme poverty, little or no education, tyrannical regimes which are
Feminist movement was a live and well in the Black slave populations prior to the feminist movement here in the Americas. Black women kept her families alive thru all the indignities forced on her by the dominant culture so change is going to have to come on the strenght of women-even if its an outside influence.
omisade7: Feminist movement was a live and well in the Black
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First Posted: 07/23/2010 11:56 am EDT Updated: 10/19/2012 12:34 pm EDT