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World Pulse Correspondent Drives Media Awareness on Breast Ironing

July 28, 2011

Tags:

Gender-based Violence

As a result of World Pulse correspondent Shekina's shocking account of breast ironing in Cameroon, CNN came out with this story on the issue, which was CNN's #1 story on Wednesday evening.

In Shekina's native Cameroon many mothers consider it normal to press hot stones or coconut shells to their daughters' breasts in an attempt to halt breast development and to spare their daughters from unwanted sexual attention from boys. In her heartfelt story, Shekina breaks the long silence on this practice. She raises the alarm on the devastating consequences of breast ironing and urges action to replace this harmful practice with education.

Thank you CNN for listening to the urgency of the voices of breast ironing survivors in Shekina's story and and bringing awareness to this issue.

And congratulations to Shekina who continues to push tough issues affecting her community into the public light.

Read Shekina's story

View CNN coverage

Sign a petition to end breast ironing

Comments

Shocking, more popular art and culture needs to address issues such as these

Thank you World Pulse for exploring this difficult subject.

How many things like this happen around the world! And in some cases we are so habituated to these barbaric actions that we even sometimes forget to raise voice. Thanks to Shekina that she is raising the voice.

It is very sad that mothers had to resort to this to 'protect' their girlchildren. What would i have done if i were in there shoes? Follow suit? No. Certainly this desperation can be averted by providing girl children with sex education and not making them pass through fire. This is regrettable and i commend the reporter for recognizing this aberration as an aberration and shedding light on it. Thanks Shekina. please do more of this

WITS

is very important to denounce bad practices even if it has become a kind of tradition in society. We must especially women dare to raise voice against this breast ironing. Any time we also need to sensitize and educate those who do not know who the heirs are not the old ones did.

Its very sad indeed. At the same time we cannot completely blame the mother for in her view she is protecting her daughter from sexual abuse, wich is very much spread in different ways and in all parts of the world.Women are still looked at as sexual figures even in the most developed countries.

To reach a solution for such problems, efforts has to combine and work towards the society as a whole.

Its unbeleivable that in this era such unimaginable torture is imposed on people and to a worse extent that some girls believe its the right way to go. Mothers will do anything they can to protect and train their children. They need guidance and exposure to lawful and better methods of raising children. Am thrilled this horrible act has been brought to light. Let's all we can, everywhere stop cultural practices that endager human beings by educating and teaching people involved proper ways of overcoming challenges and fears.