Breast ironing is a form of breast reduction in which a pubescent girl's breasts are flattened with a heated object, usually by the girl's mother, in an attempt to make her less sexually attractive to men. The practice is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon and is believed to help prevent rape and early marriage. In Cameroon, heavy tools such as grinding stones, hammers, pestles, spatulas, or other objects (eg bananas and coconut shells) are heated^[1][2] and used to press or beat down the forming breasts.^[3]

Contents 1 Health consequences 2 Scope 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Health consequences

While there is little research on the health effects of breast ironing, it is generally believed that the practice can cause tissue damage in addition to the pain of the ironing process. Other possible side-effects include breast infections, the formation of abscesses, breast cancer, malformed breasts and the possible complete eradication of one or both breasts.^[4] In addition, the practice can inhibit or prevent successful breastfeeding.

As a result of this negative effect, as well as the severe forms of breast ironing regularly used in Cameroon, feeding the thought that it should be considered a form of mutilation, local non-governmental organizations are trying to call attention to this practice and stop it.

[edit] Scope

A survey by the German development agency GTZ from June, 2006 of more than 5,000 girls and women between the ages of 10 and 82 from Cameroon, estimated that nearly one in four, or four million girls in Cameroon alone, had been subjected to the procedure.

[edit] See also

• Body modification
• Female genital cutting

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Randy Joe Sa'ah (2006-06-23). "Cameroon girls battle 'breast ironing'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
• "An Unwelcome "Gift of God"". IPS News. 2006-06-13. http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=33603. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
• "Campaign launched to counter "breast ironing"". PLUSNEWS. 2006-06-28. http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=39711. Retrieved 2008-01-01. 
• Sabri Ben-Achour (Trans.) (2007-01-15). "Ironed Maidens". Harper's Magazine. http://harpers.org/IronedMaidens.html. Retrieved 2007-01-31.  (subscription required)

[edit] External links

• "Film about Breast Ironing". http://current.com/items/88852332_breast_ironing. 

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