Girls Undergo 'Breast Ironing' to Prevent Pregnancy

While most pre-teen girls are giddy over their first training bra, the reality for many girls in rural Cameroon girls is grim. On the rise in the Central West African nation is a practice called “breast ironing,” which involves placing hot stones on a young girls breasts to prevent them from the growing.  Responding to the country’s staggering teen pregnancy rates, mothers in the country have resorted to the age-old practice in hopes that their daughters won’t be seen as sexually attractive and become the next statistic. Girls as young as nine years old have been subjected to the practice. Women in the country say the procedure can lead to physical issues such as burns and deformities.