A painful and largely hidden tradition continues to affect millions of young girls across Africa, leaving deep physical and emotional scars under the guise of protection.
Breast ironing, also known as breast flattening, is a practice carried out to delay or stop the development of young girls’ breasts, supposedly to protect them from early marriage, sexual harassment, and school dropout. Experts warn that it is a form of gender-based violence with severe health consequences.
Abike, a 43-year-old fishmonger from Badagry, Lagos, recalls the agony she endured at age 13. Living with her aunt, she was woken in the middle of the night and forced to undergo the practice with a garri-turning stick and a grinding stone.
“I wanted to talk; they made a sign for me to stay silent,” Abike said. “They pressed my breasts twice before I could run out. The pain was unbearable. I developed a high fever afterward.”
Abike endured this repeated procedure to make her less attractive to men, in an effort to prevent early marriage. She eventually married at 25 but noticed lasting deformities, including uneven breasts caused by the practice.
Mrs Ikoko, 60, a native of Benue State, was forced to undergo breast ironing at age 12 to continue her schooling. Her mother, guided by family elders, believed flattening her daughter’s breasts would make her less likely to be married off early or harassed.
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“I felt like my body had betrayed me,” Ikoko said. “The pain was unbearable. I started to hate looking at myself in the mirror, and the emotional scars lasted long after the physical pain subsided.”
According to the African Health Organisation, breast ironing affects approximately 3.8 million women across Africa and is one of the most under-reported crimes related to gender-based violence.
It typically targets girls aged 9–15 and is often carried out by female relatives using hard or heated objects such as pestles, rolling pins, coconut shells, spatulas, or irons.
Proponents of the practice argue it prevents early pregnancy, sexual abuse, or school dropout, but medical and human rights experts emphasize the harm it causes: Permanent breast deformities, uneven or sagging breasts; Abscesses, cysts, and infections; Painful tissue damage and complications with breastfeeding; Increased risk of breast cancer and other long-term health issues; Severe emotional and psychological trauma, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Dr. Adedayo Joseph, a consultant radiation oncologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, noted that victims of breast ironing often suffer both physical and emotional consequences, including breast abscesses, infections, malformed tissue, and impaired lactation.
Dr. Babatunde Rosiji, a consultant gynecologist and obstetrician, said the practice thrives in less-informed communities where traditional beliefs override medical knowledge.
“Over 50% of cases are carried out by mothers or female relatives, often without the father’s knowledge. The intent may be protective, but the impact is devastating,” he said.
Survivor Rose Abraham described lifelong effects: “One breast is big and saggy, the other small. I had difficulty breastfeeding my child, and the emotional trauma stays with me every day. It feels like a punishment for something I couldn’t control.”
In 2023, former Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, called for an end to the harmful practice, emphasizing that it disrupts the natural development of girls and must be abolished.
Research by Mela Fotabong et al., titled Prevalence, Awareness and Adverse Outcomes of Breast Ironing among Cameroonian Women in Buea Health District, highlighted the severe physical and psychological consequences of the practice and recommended public education and legislation to eliminate it.
Health experts and human rights advocates are urging communities to abandon breast ironing, emphasizing that natural physical development should not be interfered with.
The practice, intended as a protective measure, inflicts pain, trauma, and long-term health risks on young girls, perpetuating cycles of fear, control, and inequality.