A few weeks ago, SacredFems.com took a look at the disturbing practice common in Africa of the mutilation of the female genitalia. Using various procedures, the purpose is supposedly to remove the pleasure from sex, thus keeping the girl non-sexually active for as long as possible.

The BBC reported recently on another strange and dangerous custom, this one designed to make girls less sexually attractive to boys and young men — breast "ironing."

The breasts are pounded and massaged with hot objects to try to make them shrink, or disappear altogether. Twenty-six percent of girls in the African nation Cameroon undergo this "procedure." Though punishable by three years in prison, many mothers think they are acting in their daughters best interest, and many girls willingly allow themselves to be mutiliated in this way. Some girls even ask for it.

"I wanted to go to school like other girls who had no breasts," Emilia, a young girl from the village of Mamfe said.

Many mothers have no regrets about ironing their daughter's breasts.

"Breast ironing is not a new thing. I am happy I protected my daughter. I could not stand the thought of boys spoiling her with sex before she completed school," one woman explained.

"Unfortunately, television is encouraging all sorts of sexual immorality in our children."

Image: Tools are heated and then used to pound the breasts

We first saw this on Feministing.

Women | Africa | Female Circumcision | Female Genital Mutilation | FGM | World Health Organization | Breast Ironing | Breasts | SacredFems.com