Source:The Telegraph
A number of MPs are calling for an end to the “abhorrent practice” of breast ironing in the UK.
Home Office minister Karen Bradley has said the Government is committed to eradicating it, and it's now being likened to female genital mutilation (FGM - where women's genitalia is cut under the guise of cultural beliefs) in that it could be made a criminal offence.
But what exactly is ‘breast ironing’, how common is it and why does it happen? Here’s what you need to know.
What is it?
Breast ironing involves using hot objects to pound and massage a girls’ breasts in an attempt to stunt their growth, in the belief that it makes them less sexually attractive.
MP Jake Berry said: “Hot stones, hammers and spatulas are used twice a day for several weeks or months to stop or delay and in some cases permanently destroy the natural development of the breast.”
Margaret Nyuydzewira, chair of Women’s and Girl’s Development Organisation (Cawogido), explains that any hot instrument can be used to carry this out on adolescent girls.
Where does it happen?
The UN estimates 3.8 million young women are at risk of breast ironing in Central and West Africa. It is widespread in Cameroon and other African countries.
Berry said around 1,000 girls in the UK are currently thought to be at risk of breast ironing. According to a UN report, 58 per cent of perpetrators are the victims’ own mothers.
Why do people do this?
Breasts are seen as a sexual body part that must be removed before they attract male attention. Those who implement the practice tend to believe it will stop a girl from being raped and that it is for her ‘safety’.
Like FGM, the act is passed off as a ‘tradition’, ‘cultural’ or ‘religious’ practice.
How old are the girls?
Nyuydzewira explains that breast ironing typically happens to girls aged nine to 14, while they are going through puberty.
“It doesn’t happen after puberty. It happens as soon as a girl develops, so no one looks at her. It happens without the men’s knowledge. It’s a secret in the family. It is carried out by the mum or nearest female relative – an aunt or grandmother.
“It will normally last around five to six months.”
What effect can it have?
Girls can be left with serious long-term problems. They can have burns, scarring and sometimes only one breast will develop.
“They’re very traumatised,” adds Nyuydzewira. “They also end up with sagging breasts at an early age.”
It can also lead to more serious health problems such as cancer, infection and cysts.
What can be done?
Organisations such as Cawogido are campaigning to have breast ironing recognised as an illegal practice in the UK. Right now, there is very little awareness around it.
Berry said 23 per cent of local children's services were not trained to deal with it, with 65 per cent saying they would welcome more guidance.
“My understanding is that there is currently no stand-alone crime of breast ironing in the UK, with police and prosecutors relying on the existing pool of criminal offences available to them,” he said. "Just like with FGM, this... is not an adequate protection for young women and girls in our country.”
Bradley, speaking in the House of Commons about breast ironing, added: “What we're talking about is child abuse, it is illegal, it is a crime, it is not acceptable.
"I want to assure the House that the Government fully understands this and is absolutely committed to putting a stop to it.”