{UAH} '1,000 British girls' subjected to painful breast-ironing to stop growth

'1,000 British girls' subjected to painful breast-ironing to stop growth

The African practice involves ironing a girl's chest with a hot stone to delay breast growth and 'stop unwanted male attention' - with victims as young as 10

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By

Charlotte Neal

• 10:10, 26 JAN 2019
• UPDATED10:12, 26 JAN 2019

NEWS

Hot rocks or stones are massaged on young women's breasts to damage the tissue and halt growth (Image: Getty Images)

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Community and hospital workers estimate the number of young girls being subjected to painful breast-ironing is increasing in the UK.

At least 1,000 women and girls - some as young as 10 years old - have been subjected to the traditional African practice, which involves a hot stone being repeatedly rubbed on tissue to slow or stop growth.

Perpetrators believe the intervention protects women from unwanted male attention, sexual harassment and rape.

Community workers in London, Yorkshire, Essex and the West Midlands told the Guardian about cases they'd seen, with one estimating she was aware of 15-20 recent cases in Croydon alone.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said it's usually done in the UK rather than abroad like female genital mutilation.

"Sometimes they do it once a week, or once every two weeks, depending on how it comes back," she added.

Community workers have said estimated 'at least 1,000' women have fallen victim to the painful practice in the UK (Image: Barcroft Media)

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• Hundreds of British mums 'breast-ironing' their daughters using red-hot rocks, hammers and spatulas

 

Though there has been no formal data collection exercise or study, head of the Came Women and Girls Development Organisation (Cawogido), Margaret Nyuydzewira, estimated at least 1,000 women and young girls have been victims of the process on UK soil.

Usually carried out by mothers, breast-ironing can lead to physical and psychological scars, infections, inability to breastfeed, deformities and breast cancer, and is considered as child abuse.

The United Nations describes it as one of five global under-reported crimes relating to gender-based violence.

A British-Somali anti-FGM campaigner and psychotherapist said she has spoken to five women, all British citizens, who have been victims of the painful practice.

One, living in north London, became flat-chested as a result, and said no-one ever questioned or physically checked her, Leyla Hussein revealed.

Jennifer Miraj, who worked in hospitals in Essex, Glasgow, Birmingham and London for more than 10 years until 2015, said she came across confirmed cases in 15 adults and eight girls and "watched the number grow" over that period of time.

Describing a case from Broomfield Hospital in Essex, she said: "I took care of a young 10-year-old girl who had an infection, which had been going on for a few years from ironing."

A woman said the number of cases grew over the 10 years she worked as a nurse in the UK (Image: Getty Images)

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• Female Genital Mutilation 'parties' in Britain with nurses being flown in to carry out painful procedures

 

Four victims in Leeds, originally from West Africa, spoke to Mary Claire, a church minister in Wolverhampton, who said the marks on their breasts were clearly visible.

The Guardian spoke to an anonymous mother, identified only as living in an English city, who ironed her daughter's breasts at the first sign of puberty.

She described warming a stone until it was hot and massaging the young girl's chest.

"When I started massaging she said: 'Mummy it's hot!'," the woman told a reporter.

When the girl developed bruising, the mother was questioned by police and released with a caution.

Police say they suspect breast-ironing is happening in the UK, but have dealt with no allegations.

Inspector Allen Davis, of the Metropolitan Police, stressed the importance of prosecutions and people recognising the tradition "for what it is - child abuse".

He said 'if he knew it was happening he would do something about it'.

The issue was mentioned in a recent London Borough of Brent mental health report, with voluntary organisations working across the African diaspora describing it as an "emerging issue" which "was not receiving enough attention".

The government has said it is "absolutely committed" to stamping out breast-ironing in the UK.

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