Chest ironing

As breast ironing is called a mainly in Cameroon , but also in Togo , Equatorial Guinea , Benin and Nigeria widespread tradition of body modification , as with the heated objects such as stones with pressure on the breasts of adolescent girls are rubbed. The intention is to inhibit the growth of the breasts.

backgrounds

In the past it was wrongly believed that the breast ironing method could ensure that the mother produced enough milk for her children.

According to GTZ , this practice has been used for several decades to prevent breast growth and visible growth. The practice is predominantly run by the girls' female relatives with the intention of making them less attractive to men. This is to protect them from early and unwanted pregnancies, which would often mean their ostracism and social decline, as they often have to drop out of school and have little prospect of a job or marriage.

Health consequences

The mutilation of the breasts is painful for the girls concerned. They are traumatized and in some cases they can not breastfeed normally later on . The long-term consequences include damage to connective tissue, pain, impaired self-esteem, infections, cysts and an increased risk of cancer.

distribution

Girls are affected as soon as their breasts begin to grow, sometimes from the age of nine. In Cameroon, at least twelve percent of the national average of the female population are affected. The values fluctuate between seven percent in the north and 53 percent in the littoral region. According to the assessment by Flavien Ndonko, medical anthropologist and author of a study published in Cameroon in 2006 on behalf of GTZ, the practice of chest ironing was not previously discussed in the Cameroonian public :

“Until last year, practically no one talked about it. The Cameroonian public was not informed, although a large number of adolescents in this country are victims of this practice. "

- Flavien Ndonko, medical anthropologist

Awareness campaigns are now taking place. The Cameroonian non-governmental organization RENATA also promotes the use of contraceptives and condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Her slogan is: “Don't iron your breasts, they are a gift from God”.

Web links

Nicole Howley: 'Breast Ironing' puts young West and Central African girls at risk! ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

References and footnotes

↑ ^a ^b Ute Koczy ( Terre des Femmes ): “Breast ironing” - a cruel practice In: TDF - Menschenrechte für die Frau 2/2007. (PDF; 155 kB)
^ Rebecca Tapscott, Understanding Breast “Ironing”: A Study of the Methods, Motivations, and Outcomes of Breast Flattening Practices in Cameroon , Feinstein International Center, May 14, 2012.
^ ^A ^b Anne Mireille Nzouankeu, Carola Frentzen: The traumatic procedure of chest ironing. In: The world. October 25, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2017 .
↑ The study with the title Etude sur le modelage des seins au Cameroun was presented in 2006 in Cameroon, but has not yet been published in written form.

[Koczy-1] Ute Koczy ( Terre des Femmes ): “Breast ironing” - a cruel practice In: TDF - Menschenrechte für die Frau 2/2007. (PDF; 155 kB)

[2] Rebecca Tapscott, Understanding Breast “Ironing”: A Study of the Methods, Motivations, and Outcomes of Breast Flattening Practices in Cameroon , Feinstein International Center, May 14, 2012.

[DPA-2013-3] A ^b Anne Mireille Nzouankeu, Carola Frentzen: The traumatic procedure of chest ironing. In: The world. October 25, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2017 .

[4] The study with the title Etude sur le modelage des seins au Cameroun was presented in 2006 in Cameroon, but has not yet been published in written form.