Awareness is growing globally about female genital mutilation (FGM), however, there are fears that few people know about breast ironing.
Breast ironing involves ‘flattening’ a girl’s chest with hot objects to delay breasts from growing, so she does not attract male attention.
The child’s mother undertakes the breast ironing, which usually involves heating a stone or spoon on a flame then pressing, massaging or flattening the breast.
This can go on for months.
The shocking practice originated from West Africa- where young girls from age 10 are subjected to it.
Seemingly with the growing detriments the practice that had also found route in Britain, has seen authorities advocating for a law to have it in the school curriculum to help stop human abuse.
“Breast ironing should be made part of the mandatory school curriculum to protect young girls from abuse,” the National Education Union said.
UK’s Conservative MP Nicky Morgan (Ms) said teachers must also be educated, as they have a “very important role to play”.
It is thought that around 1,000 girls in the UK have been affected by breast ironing.
Ms Morgan said issues such as breast ironing should be “tackled, addressed, talked about and stopped”.
She added that the curriculum should be kept “under review as different areas of practice, custom or abuse come to light”.
Those working with girls and young women should also be taught to recognise that breast ironing is taking place in the UK, she continued, and to be able to “advise the young person on what action they need to take”.
One woman, “Simone”, told the Victoria Derbyshire programme she was breast ironed aged 13 when her mum found out that she was gay.
“According to her, maybe I was attractive because of my breasts, so if she can iron them and I’m flat, then maybe I’ll be ugly and no-one will admire me.”
“Time does not erase that kind of pain,” Simone added.
Like many young girls, she was also made to wear an extremely tight strap around her chest to suppress them even more – which caused her difficulty in breathing.
A few years later, when she had a baby to the man she was forced to marry, the long-term damage became apparent.
“When it comes to breast feeding, it’s so strenuous, like there’s a knot inside,” she explained.
“It seemed like maybe some of the nerves were destroyed.”
There is no specific offence for breast ironing, but the Home Office described it as a form of child abuse and said it should be prosecuted under general assault laws.
Angie Marriott, a former gynaecological nurse who now works as a safeguarding lecturer for Cheshire Police, said that the true scale of breast ironing in the UK was being obscured because of under-reporting.
She described it as a “sensitive, hidden crime”, with women afraid to speak out for fear of being “ousted from their communities”.
“I know this is happening because people have divulged it to me,” she said.
“And they’ve said it’s the first time openly that they’ve ever spoken about what’s happened to them, and they felt ashamed.”
Simone still bears the scars from the abuse she endured, and wants to raise awareness of the crime.
“To say the least, it’s an abuse. It hurts, it dehumanises you,” she said.