malformalady:Breast ironing - the brutal flattening of a young girl’s developing chest to ‘protect h
malformalady:Breast ironing - the brutal flattening of a young girl’s developing chest to ‘protect her from rape and sexual harassment’ - now affects 3.8 million women around the world, according to a UN report. The process uses large stones, a hammer or a spatula that has been heated over hot coals to compress or mutilate the breast tissue and make the adolescent look less ‘womanly’. It is a widespread practice in Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa with the girl’s mother being the abuser in 58% of cases, according to the Department of Public Health Services. The mother often warrants the ritual, removing signs of puberty, so her daughter can pursue education for longer rather than being seen as ‘ready for marriage’. However, much like FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), breast ironing is widely considered to be just another form of hidden abuse. -- source link
Tumblr Blog : malformalady.tumblr.com
#abuse#violence#misogyny#femicide