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Breast Ironing


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The UN says that 3.8 million West and Central African girls are at risk of a painful form of body mutilation know as 'breast ironing'.

In Cameroon where the practice is most widespread, 50% of adolescent girls in cities and a quarter of all girls nationwide have their breasts 'ironed,' often by their mothers.

The 'ritual' is performed by massaging the girls' chests with heated objects like stones, in order to reverse their pubescent development. The mums say it's driven by fear of unwanted male attention, rape and pre-marital pregnancies.

According to UNFPA, breast ironing exposes girls to numerous health problems such as abscesses, infections, dissymmetry of the breasts, cysts, and even the complete disappearance of one or both breasts.

Nevertheless breast ironing is widespread and interestingly, the high prevalence in cities attributed to the effects of urbanization.

In Cameroon, the Network of Aunties Association, RENATA, made up of members who have undergone the practice, is trying to stop breast ironing by drawing public attention to its dangers in radio and television spots and by disseminating leaflets.
nina_g

32 responses // Breast Ironing

  • this is beyond sad! Imagine this becoming a trend that spreads through Africa because of the High level of Sexuality possessed in a male dominated society. Now imagine this being a practiced that is carried out in a increasingly large number of countries. Traumatized girls, grow into scared women who feel like because of men the are forced to bare great pains. These types of practices make there way into other parts of the world as backwards solutions to increasing problems of over active sexuality. This type of trend can and should not be allowed to spread...But what can we do?

    Go-RealL.A.
    Go Real Life Awaits
    Go_Realla1
  • that is very sad but did she have to draw nipples on the chalkboard?
    frankie_of_tempe
  • I've never heard of this but it needs to be spoken out against. it's just another way of regulating female sexuality with more than tragic results it needs to stop. Even more tragic that like Female Genital Mutilation the older women are often times in greater support of it than the men. What can be done?
    mrkyon
  • How is this possible? HOW?
    Miyaunna_DeChelle
  • This is really an even higher level of fear being induced by the spread of aids, My People are struggling to survive at all cost. And, although this is one of the least effective ways, you have to question to the extremes a mother would go through to secure a future for her siblings! My spirit cries at the descent of our humanity!
    Go_Realla1

  • One thing to bear in mind is that there are organisations working really hard to stop breast ironing on the ground in Cameroon - but they do need more support -

    a) through pressure on the Cameroon government, at least to make an official statement against the practice
    b) through direct support to RENATA – (Network of African Aunties - an association of teenage mothers who launched the campaign) to intensify the fight in the field.

    If you are interested in learning more the organizations involved in the campaign against breast ironing are:

    www.tantines.info
    www.gtz.de/en
    nina_g
  • this is so sad. the reality of life for so many people makes them treat such practices as ifthey're totally normal.
    ofer
  • as sad as i am to say this but this is Africa.
    Things like these are hard to change and might even take years to get people to realize how wrong it is.

    peace
    ilhan
  • While I certainly feel this to be horrific and I had a very visceral reaction to the documentary, I do feel it is somehow wrong to demonise the mother, and the role of the parent in this situation. This is beyond a case of TIA, mothers are doing this out of protection, no matter how wrong. The message that should be sent is not to the mothers on how to parent, but to target teen pregnancy specifically.

    Breast ironing, even seen from this documentary, is clearly the problem that arose in response to a bigger problem. Until safe sex and sex education in general are addressed, you cannot simply point fingers at parents for whom the problem they're trying to solve is still prominent. Give them an alternative and perhaps they'll listen to you.
    ricep0d
  • I saw a similar piece on the National Geographic Channel. It was hard to watch since they showed the act. The girl whose breast was getting ironed expected and accepted the practice, almost like a right of passage. She was 15, and when asked if she would do the same to her daughter, she said she would, because it was something that needed to be done, for her own good. Whether or not it would damage her in the future was of no consequence. It's a difficult battle to fight, because the root of the problem can't simply be taken away.
    Neghie
  • @ frankie_of_tempe YES. She had to draw the nipples. She was teaching, and attempting to allow the children to understand what is happening and why. What is wrong with you that you think drawing nipples is somehow bad in this context. We all have nipples! People: please don't be afraid of your body! This type of ignorance is one of the reasons that practices such as breast ironing and female circumcision still exist.

    Great POD. I didn't know that this practice existed until today.
    cheyroze
  • I like Mondo Films for their explicit depicting of African traditions broadening my mind and inevitably triggering questions of surrounding FIRST WORLD reality, where skinny, unnaturally underweight female images still dominate local women’s obsession with beauty and fashion.
    mkwrk2
  • Unbelievble. I had just come back from Cameroon and never knew about this. So it really did not meet my eye.

    Sensible Global action with voluntary understanding is the key. I wish it comes to halt within my lifetime......I will defentely do something about this....
    nanush70
  • Video comment about breast ironing. Need more sex education, not more genital mutilation.
    ebarnett09
  • I just think this is so awful. but we shouldn’t be so quick to judge because they don’t have proper education and even the government refuses to recognize it as a problem. what are these mothers suppose to do? obviously these are not educated people themselves. so for them to come up with this radical way of preventing their babies from becoming pregnant is really eye opening.
    saharnaqvi
  • mrkyon: Without the nipples, she would have just drawn round circles. Is there something too explicit about a breast that children cannot even be taught about their own bodies?
    Elligirl
  • How can a mother do that to her child?! Its unbelievable to me that a mother could seem so concerned with the welfare of her daughter yet subject her to such a torturous and horrendous procedure!
    mkillackey3
  • WoW, I usually like to play "devil's advocate" when it comes to comments but I cannot think of one good reason to do such a horrific act of mutilation. Tradition? No!

    ebarnett09's webcam response says it all. More sexual education and more support from the parents/family.
    Audiogeek
  • Iam surprised they don't use starch !
    loubatz
  • There are good intentions, but the results and consequences are to much for young females.
    dmass5
  • completely barbaric. the forced indoctrination of children into this harmful practice makes me sick.
    mlugavere
  • Why don't they just 'iron' the penises of boys and men in those countries... I bet that would help stop rape, lower pre-marital pregnancy status AND help prevent the spread of AIDS.
    Why is it always the WOMAN of a culture who has to suffer. Breast ironing, female genital mutilation (circumcision), neck lengthening, foot binding, rape, birth control shots/pills/emplants/etc are all forms of violence against women. It's sad that women are not more educated to not only make better choices for themselves and their children, but to STOP the tyranny of thought modeling from living in a man's world. Why do women feel the need to discipline themselves when often times it is a man who's actions deserve the discipline?
    bnharast
  • it's really interesting to compare the culture around women in africa and in america. i think there's a lot more going on here than just a lack of education. the mothers who do this do their daughters have a skew perspective of their role in society (but, i'm talking from my perspective (in my society)).
    seamless_planet
  • if they are going to iron them..they should use spray n' starch for a really good crease !
    loubatz
    1 response to this
  • notice, no mention of the ironing of the male genitals...another imbalance in our patriarchal world.
    veggy_head
  • ...its sad that people have the audacity to joke about this, its a painful practice.. simplistic in its perspective and honestly a crazy form of child abuse..I think that the teacher as a victim herself is so strong for the fact that she is able to educate after having to endure, she should be renowned as others suffering in the face of adversity/inhumanity. I want to help, I really hope that sexual education will be more widespread throughout the Nation of Africa and that this will help deviate the stressors of disease and these 'preventative' practices.
    RebelutionorDie
  • Hi Nina - this a great piece.

    It's fascinating and sensitively handles the exploration of what, on one level, appears barbaric - yet to the mothers living there seems like the only route to protecting their daughters future.

    B
    digitalis
  • That is just horrible for these young girls. Perhaps they are afraid of even their own husbands molesting their children.

    This is completely wrong and against nature.

    They should certainly have some sort of a sex education program in place. These people and this culture needs to be educated.

    This is kind've sick and I feel sorry for these children and young women.
    PatienceMelissa
  • if I were a little girl (or a girl at all), I'd take a family heart-to-heart talk over hot rocks pressed to my breasts any day of the week. And the parents should feel that way as well.
    VickSmith
  • This is a very good piece, for it's journalistic style and sympathy for the people portrayed. It's sad that people who are obviously struggling to survive a hard life try to maintain security by mutilating their children. What are the statistics on teen pregnancy in ironed girls compared to the other 75% of Cameroonian girls?

    Some of the comments above express anger at males. Sexuality is not the problem here. Humans are sexual creatures, and having children is part of life. Parents are to blame, those who refuse to face reality, don't talk with their kids, blame their kids, then try to create false hope through mutilation.
    ryanzero
  • I am so horribly shocked and angered at this!

    Any parent who would willingly put their child through such a painful so called "treatment" is the one that should be educated.
    brightdivine

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