Dichotomy of Protecting Children With Torture

Breast ironing (or flattening), in contrast, is repeated over and over again—sometimes daily. Traditional familial theory is that the procedure makes the girls less attractive to perverted males. In practice, some girls continue to be sexually active and others become victims of sexual violence.

In Cameroon, one in four girls undergo a ritualistic procedure of flattening breasts with a hot iron, tight corset, or other methods. It is a painful practice advocates say is motivated by love. Click above image to watch CNN video.

Effects of Breast Ironing

Breast ironing is some­times done by pounding the chest of a young woman with spatulas, hammers, or heated stones. It has reportedly led to cysts, lesions, an inability to produce breast milk, and perhaps to the develop­ment of cancer in some young women.

The painful practice often results in the destruction of mammary glands, making girls vulner­able to breast infection, itching, scars, and abscesses. It can lower self-esteem and inhibit intimacy.

Indicators that a girl has under­gone breast ironing:

• Unusual behavior after an absence from school or college including depres­sion, anxiety, aggres­sion, with­drawn etc.
• Reluctance in under­going normal medical examina­tions.
• Some girls may ask for help, but may not be explicit about the problem due to embarrassment or fear.
• Apprehension of changing for physical activi­ties due to scars showing or bandages being visible.

Plastic Dream Project

“Plastic Dream” is a visual essay by French photographer Gildas Paré that explores the Cameroonian cultural practice of breast ironing—crushing the mammary glands of young girls whose puberty development is deemed too early. This body control is performed by their mothers, grandmothers, aunts or healers, using objects hijacked from the kitchen—or an artisanal elastic band.

Artisanal elastic band and spatula used to compress breast development.

Tanner 5-Stage Female Breast Develop­ment (Thelarche)

Stage 1	(Preadoles­cent) only nipple tip is raised; glandu­lar tissue absent: areola follows the skin con­tours of the chest (typically age 10 and younger)
Stage 2	Buds, raised breast and nipple, enlarged areola (age 10–11.5)
Stage 3	Breasts slightly larger with develop­ing glandu­lar breast tissue extend­ing beyond areola borders, which continues widening but remains in contour with surround­ing breast (age 11.5–13)
Stage 4	Areolae and nipples form secondary mounds above rest of the breasts (age 13–15)
Stage 5	Mature adult breasts become rounded with only nipples raised (age 15+)
Individual develop­ment stages vary. Preco­cious puberty may occur before age 9. There­fore, do not use these guide­lines for deter­mining age.

“My approach to meeting the girls came true in delicacy and dignity. Because the experi­ence of these girls is a great pain,” says Gildas. Find more stories and exam­ples of Gildas’ work on his website. He is looking for places to exhibit his portraits and wants to go back to Cameroon to shoot more photographs.

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References