A teaching union has called for awareness of breast ironing to be taught in schools as part of compulsory, age-appropriate relationships and sex education (RSE) classes.
The practice of breast ironing, which originates from parts of central and west Africa, involves ironing a girl’s chest with hot objects in an attempt to delay the growth of her breasts so that she does not attract male attention.
Kiri Tunks, joint national president of the NEU teaching union, told the BBC that school staff - and in particular PE teachers - should be taught how to notice the signs.
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Ms Tunks also said the subject should be covered in schools in the same way as FGM will be from 2020, as part of compulsory RSE classes in secondary schools.
It is often the child’s mother who will undertake the breast ironing, which usually involves heating a stone or spoon on a flame, then pressing or massaging the breast in a practice that can go on for months, according to the United Nations.
‘Time doesn’t erase the pain’
A victim named “Kinaya”, now an adult, told the BBC: “Time does not erase that kind of pain. You’re not even allowed to cry out. If you do, you [are said to] have brought shame to your family, you are not a ‘strong girl’.”
She said her mother told her that “if I don’t iron them, men will start coming to you, to have sex with you” and that, when her own daughter turned 10, her mother wanted to carry out the same practice on her.
“I said, ‘No, no, no, none of my children are going to go through what I went through, as I still live with the trauma’,” said Kinaya, who has since moved away from her family, believing they may have performed breast ironing on her daughters without her consent.
It is thought that around 1,000 girls in the UK have been affected by breast ironing. However, it is believed that fewer people are aware of it than are aware of female genital mutilation (FGM), according to the BBC.
Kevin Courtney, joint-general secretary of the NEU teaching union said the practice of breast ironing was “so damaging to young women” and that the union supported “action to address the root causes”.
He added: “Schools should ensure that they have robust child protection procedures in place for reporting concerns about girls at risk.
“Compulsory, age-appropriate relationships and sex education will help girls and young women to have the confidence to assert control over their bodies and lives.”
The Department for Education says that breast ironing is already covered in its draft statutory guidance for RSE under the category of “honour-based” child abuse. The guidance will become compulsory in schools from next September.
