Breast Ironing in young girls

Maryeliza

No it isn't mysogyny!

The mothers and women who carry out Breast Ironing do not ' hate ' / ' dislike ' the girls.

POGS are you seriously suggesting that an act cannot be misogynistic because it’s carried out by a woman? Really? Really? I think the nuns in those dreadful mother and baby homes/ laundries were also extremely misogynistic and GN has its own share of misogynistic attitudes being expressed. One of the reasons that patriarchy exists is that women collude, facilitate and enable it because of their negative attitudes towards other women

Ellan Vannin are you having a laugh? Do you think English men never carried knives before Sikhs lived in the UK? Jack the ripper?

You know what POGS I have no wish to continue. It's a hideous thing.

It cannot possibly be discussed alongside Gurkas, Sikhs and so on.

Lily 65

" FGM and breast ironing are not part of a specific culture or religion and are a hateful and mysogynist act."
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How is it a misogynist act?

Breast Ironing is carried out by females , usually the mother!
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What is it if not an African ' culture ' ?

From Hansard 26th March 2016

Extract from Conservative MP Jake Berry:-

" It is against the perspective of this lengthy struggle that I wish to raise the issue of breast ironing. It is perhaps unsurprising that so few people have heard of it. Breast ironing—or breast flattening, as it is often referred to—is believed to have originated in Cameroon but is also found in Nigeria, the Republic of Guinea, South Africa, Chad, Togo, Benin, Birmingham and London. It is the practice of pounding the developing breasts of young girls with objects heated over coals or on a stove, and it tends to be performed on girls from about the age of 10 up until the end of puberty. 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.

Girls subjected to this abuse are told by the perpetrators that it is necessary to continue with this abhorrent practice until it no longer hurts. This gives us some idea of the unimaginable pain and suffering they are subjected to. Breast ironing exposes girls to numerous health issues, such as cancer, abscesses, itching, discharge of milk, infection and asymmetry of the breasts. Girls who undergo breast ironing can expect to experience an increased prevalence of breast cysts, breast infections, severe fever, tissue damage and even the complete disappearance of one or both breasts."
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allafrica.com/stories/201804110675.html

" Breast ironing is mostly practiced in parts of Cameroon, where the perception by boys and men is that if a girls breasts have begun to grow', she is ready for sex. The most widely used implement for breast ironing is a wooden pestle normally used for pounding tubers. This is followed by leaves, bananas, coconut shells, grinding stones, ladles, spatulas, and hammers heated over coals.

The practice has also been reported across West and Central Africa, in Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Togo and lower down in Zimbabwe."

OK so because some Sikhs sometimes carry ceremonial knives, British Youths are going to copy this.

Because some groups practise FGM and breast ironing, this is going to be copied by others

And people are pretending to be mentally ill because it suits their agenda to do so.

I don't agree at all.

Lily65 I only mentioned the Sikhs to make a point about our copycat generation in this country. I happen to like the Sikhs and also the Gurkhas who both did us proud during wars.
Because it's part of their heritage/history to carry these knives the British hooligans think it's right and proper that they too should also.
The same with this mutilation that goes on amongst that population whose belief it is to carry out this barbarous act you have our own " home-grown " following suit because they can. There's no deterrent in place and no MP/Politician to condone it goes on.

The " get out of jail free " card then comes in the form of an excuse for mental health problems-------my eye !

Everything that happens now is excused on the grounds of Mental Health and I'm sick of hearing it.

EV, I don't know why you mention the Sikhs. The Sikh community has been in the UK for years, integrated and going about their business. The ceremonial sword is part of their religion.

FGM and breast ironing are not part of a specific culture or religion and are a hateful and mysogynist act.

You can't just lump together all non white people as " these people"

No PECS, why ?

EllanVannin do you think the queen is a traitor?

Well that’s good POGS and maybe raising awareness might make people lobby for more resources rather than just saying how dreadful it is

Thank you Maryeliza

Every time you post to accuse posters of
being ' Goady ' on the subject of Breast Ironing it brings the thread back into discussion.

I am going to so now but the difference is I am hoping that posters who have never heard of Breast Ironing and probably never in a millions years would have thought it was a remote possibility will at least now hopefully be speaking to others about it.

That was the point in my starting the thread!

This sort of ritual doesn't belong in this civilised country ! I don't care what culture people here come from but it's obvious that what's been carried out has set a precedent for those of the same mindset to also abuse in this way.

Education against this type of practice is urgently needed in this country, that it is wrong both morally and socially. We don't do this in our country----simple as that !

On the news this morning there was another ( upcoming discussion ) debateable cultural background on Sikhs carrying knives/swords as part of their attire.
This country needs no more encouragement in such a practice than it's already got ! I feel an excuse coming---" well they carry them ".

We don't want/need these people who are going to continue their own country's rites and rituals ! It's already caused untold damage to communities here and it's about time someone opened their eyes to it instead of burying their heads in the sand.

We have to respect certain countries when we visit so why isn't that respect reciprocated when those peoples are living here ?

I don't believe that " All types of abuse and neglect are associated with poorer mental health " at all. It's a fallacy, another excuse to use the mental health card.

Ellan it is appalling as are these statistics , taken from NSPCC. It will include children from a wide range of socio economic and cultural backgrounds. Abuse is not limited to one "type" of people . We need to be equally angry about it all.

"1 in 5 children have experienced severe maltreatment
Children abused by parents or carers are almost 3 times more likely to also witness family violence
1 in 3 children sexually abused by an adult didn’t tell anyone at the time
All types of abuse and neglect are associated with poorer mental health"

I think petra summed it up--------Barbaric !

Especially the common sense. Not wanting to stereotype but the ones I used to work with were usually returners who’d retrained as SNs after time out for children. They wove together the necessary clinical experience with appropriate SN training and life experiences.

Nowadays schools have home school link workers. They can liaise with students, organisations, SS and of course home &family.

Yes and a dose of common sense.

The thing about the SN service was that a relationship was built up between the nurse and her designated schools. For the students she was a known person without all the ‘baggage’ of the everyday teacher relationship. She could offer a safe ear on a whole range of issues especially to girls who could talk to her in confidence without their parents knowing.

Tbf PECS my links show that there are official strategies in place across health,social services and police. Unless we live in or are part of the relevant communities we have no real idea do we of what is being done to combat these practices and so some falsely conclude that nothing is being done. Both charities and official bodies are working together and both have a role to play. Of course more needs doung - it always does - and resources are limited but the tone of some posts on here are just goady and/ or ill informed.

Oh gosh, the school nurse, I had forgotten all about this service.

FGM & BI are dreadful practises and the appropriate gov.dept need to devise an effective strategy to a) raise awareness , b) identify girls most at risk & c) enable swift action to protect youngsters.
There are organisations who are already active in thes areas of concern.
I really don't find the accusations of PC brigade, softies etc hold any credibility at all. I don't think it is PC to assault or mutilate young women. Most SW & teachers I know fight hard & work hard to protect vulnerable people and would immediately take appropriate action.
The suggestion that these "traditional" customs are not tackled because the pepertrators are not white British is disingenuous. Charities working to stop such practises have workers who are from the communities concerned.

I have never heard of breast ironing and am appalled at the idea.
Thanks to everyone for all the links, I'm going to read them all now.

Lily interesting article from 2 years ago re France and FMG but attitudinal issues relevant to BI as well I would guess
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.voanews.com/amp/3485077.html

Health workers are an important part of this work as well - I remember the school nurse service but as if the government gives a damn about doing anything that would cost money