I am just speechless.
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Yet Another Example of Sexual Ignorance: Breast Ironing in Camaroon
07/28/2011
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I saw a special on this on Discovery or TLC. One of the most important things that the article you linked didn't mention (and I'm aghast it was not mentioned) is that this process can damage the breasts to the point where breastfeeding is very painful or even impossible. When you look at any society, breastfeeding is important. But, a poor society like Cameroon, these people simply cannot afford artificial baby milk (aka formula) and probably don't have the sanitation, safe water or refrigeration to safely use artificial milk.
Breastfeeding can make even more of a life or death difference in poor countries.
I thought Abstinence Only programs were bad, this is horrible. And I don't buy into the whole, "But, it's part of their culture!" bullshit. Harm is harm. Non consensual sexual contact and/or damaging contact is wrong, culture or not.
Breastfeeding can make even more of a life or death difference in poor countries.
I thought Abstinence Only programs were bad, this is horrible. And I don't buy into the whole, "But, it's part of their culture!" bullshit. Harm is harm. Non consensual sexual contact and/or damaging contact is wrong, culture or not.
07/28/2011
Quote:
Amen.
Originally posted by
P'Gell
I saw a special on this on Discovery or TLC. One of the most important things that the article you linked didn't mention (and I'm aghast it was not mentioned) is that this process can damage the breasts to the point where breastfeeding is
...
more
I saw a special on this on Discovery or TLC. One of the most important things that the article you linked didn't mention (and I'm aghast it was not mentioned) is that this process can damage the breasts to the point where breastfeeding is very painful or even impossible. When you look at any society, breastfeeding is important. But, a poor society like Cameroon, these people simply cannot afford artificial baby milk (aka formula) and probably don't have the sanitation, safe water or refrigeration to safely use artificial milk.
Breastfeeding can make even more of a life or death difference in poor countries.
I thought Abstinence Only programs were bad, this is horrible. And I don't buy into the whole, "But, it's part of their culture!" bullshit. Harm is harm. Non consensual sexual contact and/or damaging contact is wrong, culture or not. less
Breastfeeding can make even more of a life or death difference in poor countries.
I thought Abstinence Only programs were bad, this is horrible. And I don't buy into the whole, "But, it's part of their culture!" bullshit. Harm is harm. Non consensual sexual contact and/or damaging contact is wrong, culture or not. less
07/28/2011
As a member of a highly educated and civilized society, it's difficult to believe things of this nature are still in practice and it makes us angry to see people hurt others and one has to wonder how someone can sleep at night after having committed such an act, especially on someone who is in their charge.
The reality of it is, if you don't believe it or know it to be wrong and everyone else in the community is doing the same thing and you have seen a marked reduction in pregnancy or rape in your village or elsewhere in your society then it becomes the everyday norm. It becomes culturally acceptable regardless of the number who are permanently harmed in the process.
Educate! Educate! Educate! And from a very early age, at that. Sex education should probably be taught by someone who isn't the child's parent and who is willing to discuss all methods of birth control and alternatives to sex.
The reality of it is, if you don't believe it or know it to be wrong and everyone else in the community is doing the same thing and you have seen a marked reduction in pregnancy or rape in your village or elsewhere in your society then it becomes the everyday norm. It becomes culturally acceptable regardless of the number who are permanently harmed in the process.
Educate! Educate! Educate! And from a very early age, at that. Sex education should probably be taught by someone who isn't the child's parent and who is willing to discuss all methods of birth control and alternatives to sex.
07/28/2011
Speechless +1
07/28/2011
Quote:
As a parent, I cannot fathom basically torturing my child. That should be intrinsically contrary to every societal norm. It is obvious that this culture understands that sex causes pregnancy, yet their response to it is to mutilate the girl to make her less attractive to males.
Originally posted by
Ansley
As a member of a highly educated and civilized society, it's difficult to believe things of this nature are still in practice and it makes us angry to see people hurt others and one has to wonder how someone can sleep at night after having
...
more
As a member of a highly educated and civilized society, it's difficult to believe things of this nature are still in practice and it makes us angry to see people hurt others and one has to wonder how someone can sleep at night after having committed such an act, especially on someone who is in their charge.
The reality of it is, if you don't believe it or know it to be wrong and everyone else in the community is doing the same thing and you have seen a marked reduction in pregnancy or rape in your village or elsewhere in your society then it becomes the everyday norm. It becomes culturally acceptable regardless of the number who are permanently harmed in the process.
Educate! Educate! Educate! And from a very early age, at that. Sex education should probably be taught by someone who isn't the child's parent and who is willing to discuss all methods of birth control and alternatives to sex. less
The reality of it is, if you don't believe it or know it to be wrong and everyone else in the community is doing the same thing and you have seen a marked reduction in pregnancy or rape in your village or elsewhere in your society then it becomes the everyday norm. It becomes culturally acceptable regardless of the number who are permanently harmed in the process.
Educate! Educate! Educate! And from a very early age, at that. Sex education should probably be taught by someone who isn't the child's parent and who is willing to discuss all methods of birth control and alternatives to sex. less
07/28/2011
Quote:
As a -- highly educated and civilized -- parent. There, I fixed that for you. It's very difficult to accept the rationalization of their actions when you have been given access to the information and resources from day one as we have in first world countries.
Originally posted by
newfoundlust
As a parent, I cannot fathom basically torturing my child. That should be intrinsically contrary to every societal norm. It is obvious that this culture understands that sex causes pregnancy, yet their response to it is to mutilate the girl to make
...
more
As a parent, I cannot fathom basically torturing my child. That should be intrinsically contrary to every societal norm. It is obvious that this culture understands that sex causes pregnancy, yet their response to it is to mutilate the girl to make her less attractive to males.
less
The article doesn't talk about what kind of access to education and birth control they have. And if they are even willing to use it in the first place. You're dealing with a very antiquated and uneducated society here. One that feels ironing a woman's breasts is a much lesser evil than being raped or getting pregnant. Desperation creates drastic measures. Hence why I said educate, educate, and educate some more. It will take quite a few generations to bring this practice to a halt and each one of them has to be more educated than the one before.
As with anything, you can give a person the information but it's up to them whether or not they use it. If tradition is a strong point in this society, it's going to be an uphill battle. That's just the way basic human nature works. I seriously doubt these people are sitting around contemplating the ethics of their actions and are merely relying on the evidence and results of these actions in the past. They certainly aren't talking about self-esteem problems, you can bank on that!
It's ignorance, plain and simple. They need a biology lesson, a shift in their patriarchal society so women are not raped or abused by anyone for any reason, and an adaptation to modern life. That's an awful lot to get done overnight.
07/28/2011
It sounds like one of those societies where they have habitually relied on a traditionally-late puberty, exacerbated by a poor diet, to delay the age at which pregnancy became possible. So of course when girls start becoming fertile earlier, a society that was used to girls ages 12-15 being nearly always infertile will run into trouble.
This is the wrong way to deal with it, and completely criminal, but it's understandable that a sudden jump in fertility is very disruptive.
This is the wrong way to deal with it, and completely criminal, but it's understandable that a sudden jump in fertility is very disruptive.
07/28/2011
It's another method in which poor girls are stripped of any rights, by their mothers, fathers, men in their cultures, tribe elders, whatever the case may be. It's as appalling as FGM (Female Genital Mutililation). Not only do these girls grow up with ultimately irreversible damage to their bodies, but also to their self-esteem, their psychological makeup..How can they ever be expected to live normal, healthy lives?
I get angry when I read about this stuff because like in the article for the ironing, they are doing it to make the girls less desirable to guys. How about educating the girls and guys and making them ultimately responsible for their actions, rather than victimizing the girls from the get-go to “avoid” issues later? Same goes with FGM, they have the NERVE to say that they do this to the girls so that they won’t be promiscuous, they shouldn’t derive pleasure from sex, and so that they stay a virgin until they are married. Basically blaming the girl for something she hasn’t done yet, with a cruel form of torture.
I get angry when I read about this stuff because like in the article for the ironing, they are doing it to make the girls less desirable to guys. How about educating the girls and guys and making them ultimately responsible for their actions, rather than victimizing the girls from the get-go to “avoid” issues later? Same goes with FGM, they have the NERVE to say that they do this to the girls so that they won’t be promiscuous, they shouldn’t derive pleasure from sex, and so that they stay a virgin until they are married. Basically blaming the girl for something she hasn’t done yet, with a cruel form of torture.
07/29/2011
Total posts: 9
Unique posters: 6