Ironing away HER future

Imagine mothers IRONING their daughters BREASTS…

Sounds Unbelievable!! But this is exactly what happens in some parts of our world.

While in a flight recently, I read an article, in a reputed international magazine, with disbelief and it has been haunting me ever since. What was described in the article was something I had never heard of before; it hit my mind so hard much that it compelled me to do research to establish the authenticity of what I had read. The fact that this practice is not much known makes me write about the same

Yes, its true friends that in some parts of Africa – Cameroon, Guinea- Bissau and a few other West & Central African countries – family members, usually mothers, IRON the breasts of their daughters to flatten and prevent them from further developing. This is done with the misguided “good” intention of protecting their daughters –  making their bodies less attractive for men and thus reducing their chances of getting sexually abused and raped; delaying their first sexual encounters. Men, for most mothers in these societies, bring unwanted and early pregnancies for their daughters. Men and boys feel that girls whose breasts have begun to grow are ready for sex or rape. Mothers do it with the hope that their daughters will be less likely to get pregnant at a young age; preventing them from brining shame upon their families and/or will be able to continue with their education.

Breast Ironing (BI) is usually carried out when the girls are aged between 11 and 15, as they enter puberty, by mothers and close relatives using heated objects, including stones and hammers and wrapping tight elastic bandages across their chests. The consequences of BI are usually disastrous to the victim’s health – cysts, breast cancer, apart from the huge psychological trauma it must have on the young girl’s mind. And not to forget the disfigured body and the mental scars with which she has to live with, her entire life. Breasts add beauty to a woman’s body, but for these unfortunate girls it may just be the opposite.

According to UN estimates a total of around 3.8 million girls have been victims of BI. In Cameroon where BI is the most dominant, up to 50 percent of the girls as young as ten years old are forced to undergo this horrific practice on a daily basis, per the UN. It is believed that many girls from African communities living in the UK are also subject to this terrible abuse

While it is true that different cultures exist in this world and it can be argued that many cultural practices may deemed to be carried out with good intentions; however no culture or religion should allow abusive practices to be carried out on their daughters, however well intention-ed. Any type of child abuse is a severe crime – should be a criminal offence – whatever maybe the intention, and must be dealt with accordingly. There should not be considerations of any “cultural sensitivities” while dealing with such cases.

Another such horrendous practice which I had earlier come across is  of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision, a practice mainly found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Though prevalent mainly in certain Islamic communities, it is also followed by some Christian and Jewish communities in Africa. UNICEF estimates that around 200 million women living today in around 30 countries (mainly African) have had to undergo FGM. In India this practice is followed by a particular sect of the Muslim community and continues till date, even in educated families.

The practice of FGM is again rooted in gender inequality, a way to control women’s sexuality and honor; to curb their sexual desires and to increase male sexual pleasure.

A practice which has no known health benefits for the girl (unlike male circumcision) but could lead to extreme health complications including inability to get pregnant; not to forget the life time mental scars the victims have to carry . The sad part of this tradition is that it is also being done by women on other women – mainly by the mothers or grandmothers on their daughters and grand-daughters; who see this practice as a source of honor and fear that if not done their girls may become sexually “loose”; exposing them to social exclusion

Guys, is it not shameful for the whole society when a girl’s natural body has to be tampered with to protect her from the “male gaze” or due to some outrageous cultural / religious beliefs?

While some people may argue that “One man’s Culture may be another man’s Taboo” – it cannot be denied that under the garb of culture and religious practices, a lot of ill practices are encouraged by certain misogynist religious leaders for their own narrow and selfish purposes – to maintain their superiority and supremacy.

Archaic cultural practices continue to exist across various religions. While the “Context” under which many such practices started may have changed over the passing years, old practices still continue under the misguided garb of “Culture”.

Culture is nothing but a set of “customs and social behaviors” followed by particular groups of people having a religious or geographical identities based on certain beliefs or faith. Like everything else only the good Culture should be allowed to continue and the bad Culture stopped. Modernity is not only about education and economic advancement; it is also about eliminating practices which discriminate fellow human beings based on sex, caste or religion. While one part of the world is moving ahead towards AI (Artificial Intelligence) it must ensure that all practices similar to BI are eliminated from the other part of the world. That will be true world progress …

Mukulism : A Point of View