Young Girls Cruelly Mutilated

It is said that 50 percent of young girls in the southeastern region, of Cameroon, an African country, are subjected to the brutal practice of breast ironing. In the Muslim north only around 10 percent of girls are involved. This cruel practice however, is on the increase, affecting one out of every four girls, which amounts to around 4 million in total, according to a new report by Current TV.

Through the use of hot coconut shells, stones and other objects the young girl's breasts are massaged, pounded and flattened.

The aim of the Cameroonian mothers is to delay their daughter's development so men will not be attracted by their breasts. The mothers believe the procedure will safe-guard their girls from rape, sexual harassment and early pregnancy, all of which will blemish the family name. In Cameroonian society a girl can be wed the moment her breasts appear, as her breasts tell men she is able to have sex.

Due to the improvement of the dietary patterns of the nation over the past 50 years, girls are starting to reach puberty as young as 9 years old. Half of all Cameroonian girls who develop under the age of nine have their breasts ironed.

It is considered that breast ironing can lead to various physical issues, such as burns and deformations, as well as the risk of breast cancer and psychological problems. Not only is the procedure extremely painful it causes tissue damage that can make difficulties with breastfeeding.

If a medical doctor can prove that the girl's breasts have been damaged, provided the matter is reported within a few months, the perpetrator can face up to three years imprisonment. The mothers however claim the process is born out of love and concern for their daughters.

Breast ironing is also practiced in Guinea-Bissau, West and Central Africa, including Chad, Togo, Benin and Guinea-Conakry.

A non-governmental crusade opposing breast ironing is under way. However, traditional belly ironing, or postpartum massaging, is also common.

In belly ironing, a traditional broom steeped in boiling water is utilized to whip the belly of a woman who has just given birth. Then a towel is soaked in boiling water to massage the different parts of the body and in some regions, the woman is asked to sit over a bucket of hot water so the vapor enters her uterus and vagina. Yet this can produce scars, burns, cervix damage or vaginal infections. Cameroonian women find the practice acceptable because tradition says that it is very important to empty out the remaining blood after giving birth.

Other traditional and hurtful practices of females have involved such tortures as female genital circumcision, Chinese foot binding, rib-breaking corsets and the chastity belt.

About the Author

Rick and Wendy are CEO\'s of YouMe Support Foundation charity that gives away non repayable high school education grants to children who will never have the opportunity to have a high school education without outside assistance.