Breast ironing

 Most popular Breast ironing in
Cameroon: empowering
girls to speak out .....Mothers mutilate their daughters in an attempt
protect them from rape. But a platform to help
girls tell their stories could end this harmful
tradition . If given a safe environment and platform to assert themselves, girls will lead the fight to overcome breast
ironing.  Elizabeth Mbu kept her secret for 16 years. Aged
11, her mother kneaded her naked, developing
breasts with a hot stone twice a week to stop
them growing. "Each time I cried as it was really
painful," she says. "I didn't understand what was
going on, but it was very difficult to speak about." Her mother continued the practice for a
year, causing permanent damage. Now aged 29, Elizabeth is a member of Came women and girls development
organisation (Came W&G), which encourages girls to advocate against the practice of breast
ironing in Cameroon. Research from 2006 suggests it affects 24% of Cameroonian girls as
young as nine. Yet the practice is a closely
guarded secret between mothers and daughters.
"Mothers say it's normal to do it, because it
prevents the girl getting pregnant early and
dropping out of school, or being raped," explains Elizabeth. "When they see their girl
growing breasts, they think they will attract boys
– they are protecting their girls." Mothers' concerns about teenage pregnancy are not unfounded. A UN Population Fund report found 30% of girls in Cameroon aged 20 to 24 surveyed in 2010 had given birth before
they were 18. Only 39% enrol in secondary
education. Came W&G focuses on empowering girls to break their silence. Elizabeth and others
organise community meetings in the capital
Yaoundé, where they share their physical and
mental traumas. The group lobbies traditional
leaders and government representatives for
change, and carries out door-knocking to persuade mothers and young victims. "It's not an
easy thing to talk about publicly," says Elizabeth.
"At the beginning I was nervous and cried. Girls
are afraid to talk because of how people will see
them or talk about their parents. But when they
see you explaining your situation they get courage." Breast-ironing victim Nchang Kazua, 28, campaigns for Came W&G in Bamenda.
"Mothers are often bitter about us telling them
it's bad because they think it's traditional," she
explains. "The girls' testimonies can convince
them of the future damage the action will cause."
As well as scarring from burning-hot stones or pestles, women report problems with
breastfeeding and a loss of confidence. Came W&G's chair Margaret Nyuydzewira says mobilising younger generations is key to
ending breast ironing. She wants to break into
the women's associations common in
Cameroonian society that help spread the
practice. "We need to empower young girls to
talk, advocate and sensitise the mothers, as well as traditional leaders to make laws banning
breast ironing," she says. Nyuydzewira wants to set up groups in Cameroon's 10 regions. She needs more funding
to deliver advocacy training, but finds it hard to
gain support. Nyuydzewira compares the
situation to progress on female genital
mutilation (FGM). "Look at the resources now
committed for FGM – but is still has a long way to go," she says. "With breast ironing we have
not even started yet. I tell the girls – you are not
going to see results now, but as you keep talking
things will change." Came W&G is one of few organisations challenging breast ironing in Cameroon. Plan
International works with girls on other advocacy projects. Its local PR and communication advisor Jaire Moutcheu says girls speaking
publicly about issues such as early childhood
marriage and rape have a strong impact. "It's
down to those girls' testimonies that we were
able to reinforce our relationship with the
ministry of women's empowerment and family last year," she says. Following an event to mark
the International Day of the Girl Child in 2012,
the Cameroonian government department
signed a joint action agreement with Plan. "The
testimonies enabled them to understand that
our work in the field is concrete," says Moutcheu. She advises other NGOs to talk through girls' testimonies with them in detail before public
events, and also to gain parental consent and
arrange meetings with rights advisors and
psycho-social support workers. The youth outreach programme also focuses on empowering Cameroonian girls. Partnered
with charity VSO, it provides civic education and
mentoring to encourage women's participation.
Programme officer Patience Agwenjang says
parents can hinder girl's participation in such
programmes. "They fear they will become rebels," she says. "Most of the girls receive
insults or intimidation while carrying out public
engagements." However, Agwenjang says by
continuing the training, girls improve their
communication skills and can assert themselves. One mother says Came W&G's young advocates have already convinced her. "When I
found out breast ironing was wrong, I told my
daughter I was trying to do the right thing," says
Magdalen Obi from Mutengene, who joined
Came W&G as a result. "She understood and is
not angry with me." Mother and daughter now share their story with other women by giving
talks to local organisations and groups. "We tell
them this is the wrong thing to do," she says