Breast ironing

Breast ironing, also known as breast flattening,^[1] is the pounding and massaging of a pubescent girl's breasts, using hard or heated objects, to try to make them stop developing or disappear.^[2][3] The practice is typically performed by a close female figure to the victim, traditionally fulfilled by a mother, grandmother, aunt, or female guardian who will say she is trying to protect the girl from sexual harassment and rape,^[3] to prevent early pregnancy that would tarnish the family name,^[4] to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS,^[5] or to allow the girl to pursue education rather than be forced into early marriage.^[2][4]

It is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon, where boys and men may think that girls whose breasts have begun to grow are ready for sex.^[2] Evidence suggests that it has spread to the Cameroonian diaspora, for example to Britain,^[6] where the law defines it as child abuse.^[7][8] The most widely used implement for breast ironing is a wooden pestle normally used for pounding tubers. Other tools used include leaves,^[1] bananas, coconut shells,^[2] grinding stones, ladles, spatulas,^[4] and hammers heated over coals.^[9] The ironing practice is generally performed around dusk or dawn in a private area such as the household kitchen to prevent others from seeing the victim or becoming aware of the process, particularly fathers or other male figures.^[10] The massaging process could occur anywhere between one week to several months, depending on the victim's refusal and the resistance of the breasts; in cases where the breasts appear to be consistently protruding, the ironing practice may occur more than once a day for weeks or months at a time.^{[citation needed]}