I am posting this in D&D since it would likely end here anyway. This is the first I've heard of breast ironing and like female circumcision it doesn't sound good. Unlike female circumcision though it seems like it is done at least for reasons to help girls, delaying development to prevent sexual predators. While the intention might be good it is damaging and based on ignorance. http://thegrio.com/2013/02/20/an-ac...ctice-of-girls-in-cameroon/#s:gender-danger-5 An activist fights breast ironing, a ritual mutilation practice of girls in Cameroon In Cameroon, the breast, one of the most conspicuous signs of a woman’s femininity, is a target for ritual mutilation. Breast ironing, a practice that involves flattening a young girl’s breasts with highly-heated stones, pestles, spatulas or coconut shells among other objects, is often carried out by an older female relative on a victim. It is considered a human rights violation by the Friends of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). According to UNPFA, one out of every four girls in Cameroon has been affected by breast ironing, equating to nearly 4 million young women. Breast ironing is primarily practiced in the Christian and Animist south of Cameroon, and less frequently in the Muslim north, where only 10 percent of women are affected. It is also practiced in Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Togo, Benin, and Guinea among African countries. As a 14-year-old girl, Chi Yvonne Leina, now 32, became a witness to this custom, which is practiced by all 200 ethnic tribes in Cameroon. She often went to her grandmother’s hut after school, which is located in the Northwest region of Cameroon, and usually heard the sounds of her cousins playing. But one particular day, the hut was eerily quiet. “[W]hen I approached the hut I heard my cousin crying inside,” Leina told theGrio. “I was curious, so I peeped through a small crack in the door.” What Leina saw next would change her life forever. “I heard my cousin groaning and I saw my grandmother warming a small grinding stone. [G]randma was using that small stone, which she warmed on the fire, to press my cousin’s breast, and was pressing hard on the breast, and she was crying.” That was Leina ’s first encounter with breast ironing. Although this practice can result in physical damage in addition to r****ding developing breasts, many elders condone it. Mothers or close relatives of young girls who perform the practice believe breast ironing will deter sexual predators. Those who carry out breast ironing hope to minimize young girls’ sexual activity, so they get an education and become financially independent. Teen pregnancy out of wedlock is on the rise in the region. Such a life event curtails any hope a young woman has of pursuing a lucrative career. In its 2011 human rights report on Cameroon, the U.S. State Department explained the cultural motivation for stunting breast growth among adolescent girls. “The procedure was considered a way to delay a girl’s physical development, thus limiting the risk of sexual assault and teenage pregnancy,” the report states. “Girls as young as nine were subjected to the practice, which resulted in burns, deformities, and psychological problems.” Yet, there is strong evidence that breast ironing does not achieve the desired goals. “Statistics confirm that in addition to being a human rights violation, the practice is ineffective in deterring pre-marital pregnancy,” according to a Friends of the UNPFA press release. “One-third of unwanted pregnancies occur between the ages of 13 and 25, with more than half falling pregnant after their first sexual encounter.” For many women, including Leina’s cousin, the negative effects can be deep, long-lasting, and counterproductive to personal growth. “All I know is she became suddenly a shy person, which she wasn’t before,” Leina said. “And she fell out of school and got pregnant some years after.”
Jesus, so not only does it not work in its intended purpose (teen pregnancy??) and it physically mutilates their chests as well.
Yeah, dad was from Cameroon and never even considered taking us back to visit (did have himself buried there). Mom's from Haiti and always hated the grandmother and male inlaws, she's fairly rotten herself but I'm sure perception of some of this mentality is exactly why. Ironically enough all of his sisters are in France, educated and their kids are fine too, so they probably dodged this bullet. These guys are running on a 5,000 year old social model and they'll probably never feel the need to change, especially as this country has always been a little more stable than its neighbors.
That goes for many of these cultural practices. For example the widespread belief in Sub Sahara Africa that having sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. As I said the intention is good but this seems like something that is driven by ignorance.
I wonder what the percentage is of elder women to their teenage or younger counterparts that had the procedures done... ... I might just be going out on a limb here but I bet the elders didn't have it done on them and just want to do it on the younger generation... *more danger of rape, etc. now than before?*
Another example of cultural practices. Having young fundamentalist women like Bristol Palin go to abstinence classes instead of learning/using contraception.
Yes, that is EXACTLY the same as this practice of mutilation performed against people's will. Please don't post stupid.
So did I, more or less . There wass another one whose name escapes me that I thought it was going to be about.
I would have thought 100% of pregnancies would occur at some point after the first sexual encounter (or near enough that the odd exception would be noteworthy *cough*Jesus*/cough*).
Well, sadly, there are probably stuff more disturbing than ironing female breasts going on in Cameroon right now.
Well, I think I won't have nice dreams tonight. It's a sad situation all around. The people doing it believe it's helpful...and it sadly probably does help in some cases....argh
