Abstract
This article will examine the harmful traditional practice of breast ironing, a common occurrence in Cameroon. Breast ironing affects approximately one in every four adolescent girls in Cameroon and is typically performed by the mother of the child who will heat common household items such as pestles or grinding stones and massage the breast tissue, hoping to flatten the breast or reverse the growth. This practice causes irreversible physical and psychological trauma to young girls and is performed in hopes to deter men from making sexual advances onto young girls. This article also examines legislation around the practice, both locally and internationally, as well as taking a look into some of the organizations working towards educating people about the practice in order to find a way to end it.
Recommended Citation
Pearsell, Rachel. 2017. "The Harmful Traditional Practice of Breast Ironing in Cameroon, Africa.." Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections 2, (1). https://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contemporary_connections/vol2/iss1/3
Included in
Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons