Most societies try to protect girls from sexual predators by punishing said predators. But in this report, GRACE OBIKE reveals how pre-teens are tortured in Abuja by being made to undergo breast ironing all in the name of preventing them from being raped.

It is widely believed that one in every four Nigerian girls has been a victim of sexual violence. Of the number who reported their ugly experiences, fewer than five out of 100 received any form of support data from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) states.

For centuries, the fear of sexual violence has pushed women to adopt different methods of protecting their daughters. In Pygba Sama, a community in Apo about 14.2km away from the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the fear of rape and sexual molestation by randy men has shaped the culture of protection for underage girls.

In order to make teenage girls look less ‘womanly’ and to prevent unwanted male attention, pregnancy and rape, women in Pygba Sama, Kpaduma II and a few other communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) practice breast ironing, also known as breast flattening.

Thirty-year-old Kandie Iliya was in panic mode when she realised that her 10-year-old daughter was beginning to develop breasts. She broke up parts of a calabash into what looks like huge bra cup sizes, called Amapala in Gbagyi language. She then placed the parts of the calabash close to the fire, and when it was hot, she held her screaming daughter down and used it to meticulously massage the daughter’s breasts tissues until she was satisfied it had dissolved.

"I knew she didn’t want it, because she was crying and squirming. But what could I have done? She was too young to start having breasts. I love my daughter and did not want men to start noticing her.” She said.

Kandie is not the only one who believes in such a practice. Thirty-eight-year-old Grace Ekene, who is originally Gbagyi but married to an Igbo man, also decided to iron her daughter’s breasts after realising that the 11 years old was not only towering over her mates in the community but had began to grow breasts.

Although Grace escaped the experience when she was younger because she always ran away each time her mother tried to practice it on her, she still decided to put her daughter through the nightmare for fear of someone noticing the girl or molesting her.

She said: “I didn’t like it when I was young. I was scared of it. Whenever my mother called me for it, I would run away from home till she forgot.

"But after seeing my daughter and the way she was developing beyond her age, I decided to protect her, and I almost succeeded in ironing her breasts.

"Luckily, my friends, who had attended a community meeting on the day that I had set aside to do it, came to visit.

"When I told them what I planned on doing to my daughter that evening, they told me that they were told at the meeting that young girls whose breasts are ironed may develop cancer later in life.”

https://thenationonlineng.net/abuja-communities-where-girls-breasts-are-suppressed-to-save-them-from-rape/

Black reason

I don't get it. How do you suppress a pair of growing breasts?

Barbaric act

Where are the photos?

Also in some parts of Cameroun

Because of men.

Women rape women nowadays

Hmmmm. This also take place in Nigeria.

What would happen in the case of Nyash or buttocks. Not all men are attracted by breasts. Protect the child and tell them to be vigilant, also teach them self defense mechanisms and how to use pepper spray.

I live in abuja and I never hear d name of this place b4 for apo.... secondly...wtf

Thirdly I've never ever heard u can suppress biological process b4 but y try to suppress something that can be very lucrative in d future especially a place like Abuja were breast is life

Just imagine

Rapists look at figure not breasts. Once the figure before is that of a girl, it's finished

BoldBrainz:
Where are the photos?

I dey your back bro

Hummm

Nanzenze

purples25:
Because of men.

No, because of hook-up...

Okoroawusa:
I don't get it. How do you suppress a pair of growing breasts?

By ironing it.

Benwallt:
Rapists look at figure not breasts. Once the figure before is that of a girl, it's finished

I think they look at vagina. Once you have a vagina as a girl, it's over for you. Nigerian straight males will prey on you.

Bunch of pigs.

siofra:


I think they look at vagina. Once you have a vagina as a girl, it's over for you. Nigerian straight males will prey on you.

Bunch of pigs.

I am a straight male o and I don't prey. I approach and get their consent. That aside. You said they look at vagina, rapist won't check his victim out before attacking her. Once he caught that picture of a girl right in front of him it's finished.

Why do you seem to dislike males?

siofra:


I think they look at vagina. Once you have a vagina as a girl, it's over for you. Nigerian straight males will prey on you.

Bunch of pigs.

Vagina of a hoe is always ready for the taking

Benwallt:


I am a straight male o and I don't prey. I approach and get their consent. That aside. You said they look at vagina, rapist won't check his victim out before attacking her. Once he caught that picture of a girl right in front of him it's finished.

Why do you seem to dislike males?

I don't mean look as in literally. I mean if they know you have a vagina, they'll try to rape you.

This isn't hating on men. Just calling them out on the wickedness they do.

siofra:


I don't mean look as in literally. I mean if they know you have a vagina, they'll try to rape you.

This isn't hating on men. Just calling them out on the wickedness they do.

Ok. I gat you clearly now. Let the women do their job well by raising good boys that will grow to respect women even if she's naked (though not easy for to ignore a naked girl)