There is considerable publicity about the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, but I dont know why this despicable practice has not received more attention. Then again, maybe it has and I've just been living under a rock.
Breast Ironing is a common practice in Cameroun and some other countries in Central/Western Africa as part of (if not the only form of) sexual education. It is done in order to discourage early sexual behaviour in young girls.
Pretty much the belief is that when a young girl starts to grow breasts, this will attract men to her and she would start having sex. So in order to discourage men from preying on their daughters, the mothers iron the breasts of the girl, as young as 9 years old!
A stone is placed close to a fire, and when it is hot enough, it is used to mold the breasts down. I shudder just at the thought of it. The woman in the video proudly announces that she does it to her daughter two times a day!, and that her mother did it to her also.
I am mortified at the approach to problems like this. The solution to unwanted sexual advances in the form of rape or unwanted pregnancy is to punish the female child? Her breasts have to be molded so that men would not want to have sex with her? for real? As far as I'm aware, nobody is going around ironing penises!
Same thing with the stupid Nudity bill. So because women are being raped the solution is not in harsher punishment for perpetrators, but dictating what women can and cannot wear? anyways I'm digressing.
The breasts of these innocent girls undoubtedly end up being deformed. Nobody thinks of what will happen when these girls finally need their breasts. I especially cringed when one of the victims was shyly explaining that her left breast is deformed as a result of this practice- even though she quickly adds that it is only one side.
"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." 1
I am still in total shock after watching the video, and as such I am taking an extra 30 minutes to appreciate my breasts.
1. http://current.com/items/88852332_breast_ironing
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57 comments:
sweety, you definately aint living under a rock cos i've never heard about this too...
its so gorrible, when would girls be let to have their freedom and grow up in peace without fingers of accusation and hideous pain inflicted on them to curb sexuality? like yopu said, what of the penises of the men?
the problem isnt with the girls, but the men, so someone had better start looking that way....
and i'm first.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
and probably second, and would be third and fourth if i dont stop celebrating and go back to my work.
At this moment I just want to appreciate my lovely breasts.
Mama I thank you 4 not ironing them when I was little.
What will i do without them???
men will still rape even if we cover ourselves 4rm head to toe.
*sigh*
d first time i saw dat video, my hands automatically went to my .....
*Father save us 4rm ourselves AMEN
This made me so mad when I read it. WTH man? Why as women are we continually being blamed for the faults of men? Rape= we are told we must not wear tight skirts, revealing tops dresses, smile or dance provocatively. When it comes to divorce it is because we didn't love him too much, we were not supportive enough. What must we do to not be labeled as the eve that tempts adam for life?
Hmmm -- Granted taste (and culture BTW) is acquired.. But surely somethings do NOT just make sense like this one... Wonder what the fascination with preventing promiscuity these days is tho.
Surely proactively engaging the youth to make them UNDERSTAND as opposed to trying to FORCE them away from havng a go from time to time makes a whole lot more sense.. If we have to go the extent of ironing breasts -- might as well extend it to removing people's brains -- since the attraction starts in the brains in the first place!!!!
Yeah I remember seeing this sometime ago, and all I could really think was how horrible ignorance is. That's the only explanation I can give for cultures that continue to encourage women to degrade women for their men's inadequacies and then feel happy for it.
God help them.
this is the first i'm hearing about breast ironing. i guess there's still so much 'educating' to be done about the dangers of some customs..
i'd never heard about this.
what about permanent scarring? oh Lord. it makes me wonder how many other practices like this we dont hear about.
can they even breastfeed after this???
dis is nuts!!!! God! everyday i thank my God 4 letting me b born in d times dat i was, & n d culture i was. all i had to worry abt was dat they wanted me married at 24. chei. dis is horrible
sings
"I just want to saaay, Baba o, ese eeeee 2x"
God I thank u, that i'm not from Cameroun
.. that my mother is literate
.. that my breast are full and lovely and bouncy!
sings
"I just want to saaay, Baba o, ese eeeee 2x"
God I thank u, that i'm not from Cameroun
.. that my mother is literate
.. that my breast are full and lovely and bouncy!
This is really really really sad...
This is the first I have heard of this. It is horrifying and repulsive.
I do agree with onydchic regarding women degrading other women supposedly to protect them from men.
Not to put this on women but men are raised by their mothers, and until mothers start raising children who will be respectful and loving of each other regardless of gender, many more atrocities will continue.
GOD please save your innocent ones! When I first saw the title of your blog I thot it was about some Asian movie....To be ironing breasts? I am too shocked for words, what happened to martial arts and pepper spray?
Right now I feel so blessed that God created me where he created me and I have never experienced any kind of ironing.
FYI - in some middle eastern countries they sew up their daughters' vaginas before sending them to study in the western world, so that they don't fornicate, the girls get a doctor to loosen the thread, then they fORNIcATe and then they sew it back before going home. I had a schoolmate like that in England...Thank GOD for my breasts!
What is this nonsense...Why would women and children continue to keep being oppressed on a daily bases. I tire oh
yeah, it is so sad that people dont talk about this. The things illiteracy causes, the only "solution" they could think of was curbing the girls' sexuality.
@oluwadee: that was what I was thinking o! what about those perverts that rape kids, kids that dont even have breasts, what did the kids do wrong?
@LG: exactly, cos we are our own worst enemies. how can a mother who had her own breasts ironed, and knows the pains she suffered, inflict the same torture on her child?
@kookie: yeah, men need to start being held accountable, to some extent, for their faults as well.
@danny bagucci: thing is this culture is very old, I'm madder that they haven't done away with it. as we speak, some poor girl is having her breasts ironed and the thought of it just makes me gag.
@onydchic: nice point "women degrading women". lets even say a girl who was circumcised has no recollection of the incident, but a girl who's breasts were ironed, surely was old enough to remember it,and why would she do the same to her daughter?
@webround: yeah, lots more to go!
@geisha.song: you should watch the video and see some of the scars. horrible! as for breastfeeding, i guess it depends on the extent of the damage.
@FFF: thank God o! I can only imagine.
@smaragd: lol, you should have seen me yesternight, i read this before i went to bed, and i slept holding my breasts like someone was going to come and attempt to iron them while i slept.
@jaycee: very sad
@naapali: I agree with you to a certain extent. societal roles also play a huge role till this day. we buy the girl the dolls, and the guy the toy guns.
they teach the girls to cook, and the guys to do whatever "manly" thing they want to teach him.
@buki: i heard about the sewn up vaginas too, equally disgusting.
@Femi B: i thought this was 2008 myself.
I've never heard of this practice. Very sad. I've learned though, that most of the women who carry out these forms of practices, like female circumcision, etc, honestly believe they are doing the best for their daughters. Change can only come in two ways:
1. Education (2) Women's Economic empowerment.
The more the UN and Human Rights Organizations "condemn" such practices, the more they will be practiced in a bid to avert "imperialism".
I have something to add to my gratitude list today: symetrical boobs!lol
Thanks for posting on this!
PS: I saw your comment on my blog, but I have no idea who alooted is!!
or where to find his/her blog...lol
Damn! This is horrible!
All these anti-women cultures!
this is so sad! this is my first time of hearing about such rubbish...
i refuse to click and watch the video..imma just vomit.
Yes we should thank God we are not from cameroun and wat not but men wat can be done to stop this nonsense in the name of sex education! this is a big BAD issue
Goodness!! That is horrible!!! Breast ironing??? Like seriously? Lai lai.
I came across this a while ago but didn't see this video. This is horrible beyond words...I cant believe people will be so backward that they will subject women to such indescribable pain. We need real educating in Africa.
Whhhhaaaaaaaaaaat? What kind of stupid practice is that? God help us oooh. Rubbish...pssswwwwwww!
I have never heard of this. The emotions I felt watching this video ranged from fear for the little girl, to disgust at the woman, to hot white rage at the audacity of the perpetrators of this shameful custom to think that the nine year old girl is responsible for attracting a grown man's roving eyes. For God's sake! Can this woman honestly say that ironing her breast stopped her from being promiscous? Makes no sense... I'm so mad right now, I need to run on the treadmill and let off some steam.... arrghhhhh!
... and how the heck am I number 24/25? I'm subscribed to your blog dammit... I'm even madder (Or whatever being more angry translates to)
That is very sad...to say the VERY least.
Oh my!!!! this is so outrageous.... never heard of it..... thank God for where im from, my family and my societal values.... i feel for these young girls who are being punished for male attraction. its natural and even if they have no breasts, men will always be attracted to women. its nature! God help us all
I watched and heard about this a while ago...its so sadm real sad,,,ignorance is a muthaf!!!
Ignorance sure as hell is a disease. And to think they are surrounded by countried that have gone past illiteracy!
I felt scared for the lil girl!
I heard about it some weeks ago. Its pathetic another partriachial stunt.
I think guys should get ironed as punishment for harassment and assault. A senator should suggest the bill for male ironing.
Lol! Its really unfair to girls and in Africans have issues mehn!
"nobody is going around ironing penises!"
breasts r ironed, penises r not, penises will still find their way into the person with d ironed breasts if it decides to.
Wat will be next, bum ironing??
I really am appreciating my breasts now.
Oh my Gosh. My breastesstesss are so feeling uncomfortable right now! Ahn ahn! I actually read about this stuff a month ago and I was truly horrified but then tried to drive it out of my mind as much as I can! Beacuse to actually think that, I mean that, that this shit or stuff is going now now because of Arghhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Drives me up the wall men!
I'm literally tearing my hair out now. Such stupid acts makes my blood boil. At least now i can appreciate my female friends with bobbies without feeling nerdy, and thank the Lord theirs were not ironed out..
I will gladly join the army against breast ironing..
I couldn't bring myself to watch the video past the 2 min mark..My good Lord help us all, amen..
@NDQ: you're right, the woman in the video seemed convinced that she was doing the right thing. she also said something about having a hard time taking care of her family as it is and she didnt want her daughter bringing in an extra baby.
very sad!
I'll set up a link to aloted's blog for you
@Aloofar: yeah, horrible indeed. Hopefully, this makes you appreciate symmmetrical boobs some more, lol!
@Aloted: I don't think you'll vomit, you really should watch it. I think it's doable, because the whole point of Breast Ironing is sex education, i guess its a matter of convinving people that there are better sex forms of sex education. not like FGM which is done just because its tradition!
@Vera: you can say that again!
@Parakeet: yes, I think real education is the only way to stop this madness!
@Andy: it seems like all of us are pretty much on the same page about this: NASTY!!!
@Nefertiti: you know, nobody ever asked them if breast ironing stopped them fromm being promiscuous. some of the women that it was done to acknowledge that its horrible like the school teacher, its the other woman at the end that bothers me...let off your steam my dear!
@QOMC: sad and shocking!
@Funms: yeah, we really need to thank God for where we're from, and speak up against this form of torture!
@shonavixen: Ignorance is truly a mutha! even the Bible says "My people perish for lack of knowledge.
@Just-Toluwa: you'll be surprised that most of these countries have NOT gone past iliteracy. there's still incidences of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria. yes, our own Nigeria!
@Ladi: yeah, nobody said anything about ironing penises! i guess its because the men that they are trying to protect these young people from are GROWN ASS MEN!
@Naija idol: lol, funny but true. there are worse things we do for or because of men, I'm going to post about some of them soon. Abeg appreciate your breasts o!
@Temite: lol, my breastesstess were ucomfortable as I was watching the video too,
@the genius within: yes o, its all about breast appreciation, lol! are you going to come back and watch the rest of the video? I think you really should see the end. :)
Now I shall take a few minutes to appreciate this my small breasts...
Ironing breasts is just barbaric mehn!
ps: when I see 37 posts b4 me, I just stop counting & get discouraged!lol
Na wa o. some of the things ppl come up with, i just cant imagine what kinda reason they can give to back it up.
just like the SA health minister who said somn about fruits and vegetables can cure AIDS. or somn stupid along that line.
Kai!!! Na wa o!!
LOL@ As far as I'm aware, nobody is going around ironing penises!
But, Baby Mi, why u wan take 30mins appreciate those tins alone? Ehn? I fit join u?
Ouch! *cringes* breast what???
Ha, with respect to the nudity bill, no need joining issues with 'em. Simply 'laff' 'cos such 'talk' reveals the depth of their understanding.
This video put me shock for awhile. My gosh. The strange concepts human beings have come up with in order to prevent sex education. Times like this I wonder if the sex is not a better option than this inhumanity.
Gosh...breast ironin n sewin of the vagina??? This is beyond appallin!
...Brutality...
I am so in shock. Who can I kill please?
I'm late to comment on this cos I just couldn't bring myself to watch the video or read the post...for a while. It's just too ugh for words.
Still...it is important to know that this goes on and that it needs to be stopped.
I will appreciate my wife's breasts more from now on.
But honestly, i thk this practice is barbaric to say the least. Unbelievable!
I can watch the video cause i know it will keep seeing it in my dreams for the next 2 weeks.
The bible says "from lack of knowledge my people perish"
God please take this Ignorance away form us.
Brrrrr! Shudders
Oh My G...!!! Jesus!
I'm lost for words!!
Kai!
Ironing breasts? Strange.
I agree with Doc Napaali though, it is usually women who perpetrate this on women.
@ Naija idol, there's nothing 'patriarchal' here. Its a woman's world, we are just here for the ride.
Question:
Who raised -and is championing- the Anti Nudity Bill in the Nigerian House of Assembly? (No prizes for correct guesses.)
Hint: Its not a MAN!
Oops. The patriarchal comment was not by Naija Idol but by ladi.
My bad.
ouch..
I want to concentrate on your ending. Appreciate it, my sister.
@talesandtallies: small or large, be thankful you have them gurl!
and didnt you hear that 38 is the new first?
@chiefo: lol, i havent heard about the SA health minister. sometimes we appear smarter only if we can just shut up, lol!
@Fineboy Agbero: lol, join ko, join ni! dont worry, I'll take another 30 mins to appreciate it on your behalf :)
@rethots: the nudity bill is just hilarious on its own.
@Tairebabs: as far as the woman in the video was concerned, she was doing it for the best. it just sucks cos thats the extent of her knowledge.
@Doja: are u kidding me? you mean they do this in Nigeria too? damn!
@poeticallytinted: kill ke? sofri sofri o! lol
@naijalines: one word- CHICKEN! lol, seriously though it needs to be stopped.
@ablackjamesbond: there you go! yay! for bond girl :)
@NIMMO: sad but true, the perpetuators are usually female. I was surprised myself to see the nudity bill being sponsored by a female senator. She's a disgrace to women all over!
@Jaja: lol, you bet I will!
Gosh!!! I never knew about this. What?
What is being done about this?
My god! Breast ironing! What a shit!
i think im gonna be sick...dats barbaric!!! Jeez!!! interesting topic tho!
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