Elizabeth John, a 27-year-old refugee from Cameroon, had her breasts ironed when she was ten years old while growing up in the Nigerian state of Cross River. In order to delay puberty and make young girls’ developing breasts less attractive to men, a cultural practice known as “breast ironing,” also referred to as “breast flattening,” involves forcing or beating the developing breasts with heated objects. This is said to protect the girls from sexual abuse, child marriage, and to keep them in school. But this technique is seen as a kind of bodily mutilation that negatively impacts girls’ physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
John remembers how her mother and other women in her society pressured her to have this treatment, which caused her to endure excruciating pain and long-term bodily harm. She still has pain, asymmetrical breast development, and weakening breast muscles. Her family disregarded the link between her discomfort and breast ironing because of cultural beliefs, even though her suffering grew so severe at the age of 19 that she sought medical attention. Her infant died at the age of four months due to the harm caused by the treatment, which later hindered her ability to breastfeed.
Approximately 3.8 million women in Africa have had the procedure.
The major health effects of breast ironing are emphasized, including psychological trauma, damaged breast anatomy, chronic discomfort, and difficulty nursing. Breast-ironing is one of the crimes involving gender-based violence that receives the fewest reports, with the UN estimating that approximately 3.8 million women in Africa have had the procedure. Up to 50% of girls in some areas are affected by the practice, which is still common in several African nations like Nigeria and Cameroon. Breast ironing, sometimes known as “breast flattening,” is a long-standing custom in many African societies, especially in regions of Nigeria and Cameroon.
More so, the tradition stems from strongly held cultural beliefs that early girls’ physical development could lead to unwelcome attention from men, sexual harassment, or an early marriage. Families feel that by delaying puberty, they are shielding their daughters from potential dangers like forced marriage, rape, and Kidnapping when they become sexually desirable to men. Using hot tools like stones, hammers, or pestles to press down on the developing breasts of the girls, this technique is typically carried out by mothers or close female relatives.
It takes a multifaceted approach to solve the problem of breast ironing.
Throughout history, breast-ironing has been a taboo Ritual that has been passed down through the generations, frequently kept hidden from men and other community members who do not engage in the practice. Due in part to its covert nature and the taboo attached to openly addressing sexual development in many of these societies, breast ironing’s beginnings are not well known despite its widespread use. Research from the medical field emphasizes how seriously breast ironing poses health hazards.
Research from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that the surgery may result in infections, tissue damage, cysts, and in certain situations, total loss of breast tissue, among other serious medical consequences. Breastfeeding challenges, persistent pain, and a higher chance of breast Cancer are long-term effects. It takes a multifaceted approach to solve the problem of breast ironing. Dispelling myths about the practice and drawing attention to its risks requires education, both within impacted groups and among the general public.
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In order to inform parents and young girls about the dangers of breast ironing and the value of permitting natural development, schools, community leaders, and religious organizations can all make a significant contribution. Additionally crucial are support services for survivors, including as health care, psychiatric counselling, and legal support. Governments and non-governmental organizations must work together to establish safe spaces where women and girls may get assistance and talk about their experiences without worrying about being punished. Legal changes are required to make breast ironing expressly illegal and to establish distinct pathways for punishment. The practice can be discouraged and future generations can be safeguarded by the enforcement of these laws in conjunction with community-based initiatives.