Breast flattening
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Breast flattening is an age-old tradition, practised in certain parts of Africa. It is the pounding and massaging of a girl’s breasts to delay breast development. In the UK it is child abuse. Read this guide to find out more.
What is breast flattening and breast ironing?
Breast flattening (often called breast ironing) is the pounding and massaging of a young girl’s breasts, to prevent and stunt breast growth. It is usually carried out by pressing, massaging, or pounding the breasts using hard or heated objects.
Why does it happen?
Breast flattening is traditional practice in parts of West Africa. It is typically arranged or performed by the girl’s mother, to make the girl less attractive to males by delaying the signs that the girl is maturing into a young woman. Reasons for this include, protecting the girl from sexual harassment and rape. It is also carried out to discourage pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancy, and prevent early marriage. Often one of the drivers is that the mothe...
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