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Breast Ironing // Comment Picked for TV
Thanks to ebarnett09 for uploading her comments on the pod, "Breast Ironing." After you hear what ebarnett09 has to say, check out the pod yourself by clicking on the link below. Then, let us know what you think by uploading your own comments to current.com.
http://current.com/items/88852332_breast_ironing Thanks to ebarnett09 for uploading her comments on the pod, "Breast Ironing." After you hear what ebarnett09 has to say, che... more -
Breast Ironing and Beyond
Women around the world are gaining greater rights and freedoms, but theres still a long way to go. This special looks at the challenges that groups of women still face. In Cameroon, mothers are ironing their daughters breasts in an effort to make them seem less attractive to men so they do no become sexually active at an early age. We look at why Iran is considered the rhinoplasty capital of the world. In China, the economic boom has produced wide disparities in the economic conditions of its people and huge differences in the status of Chinese women, from middle class urban dwellers who, thanks to Chinas One Child Policy, enjoy some of the highest levels of equality in the world, to tens of millions of rural women who have among the lowest status. Women around the world are gaining greater rights and freedoms, but theres still a long way to go. This special looks at the challen... more
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Cameroon girls battle 'breast ironing'
This BBC article quoted one mother as saying, "Breast ironing is not a new thing. I am happy I protected my daughter. I could not stand the thought of boys spoiling her with sex before she completed school," one woman explained.
Honestly, I think this is a complicated issue. The irony is that these woman seem to be trying to protect their children. I think we need to do more than just point fingers at these mothers, I think we need to look at a much larger social issue of abuse of young girls that has lead to such drastic acts of violence. This BBC article quoted one mother as saying, "Breast ironing is not a new thing. I am happy I protected my daughter. I could not... more -
Breast Ironing
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. 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 iron... more
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Breast Ironing
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Breast Ironing
