Efforts to eradicate the harmful traditional practice of breast ironing have taken a new turn in Pigba, a community near Apo Mechanic Village in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Despite years of awareness campaigns and a government-backed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2024, the practice of pressing or flattening the breasts of young girls with heated or hard objects to delay development continues to thrive in silence.
Last year, then Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, secured an agreement with Pigba leaders to confront the scourge head-on. Awareness sessions soon followed, warning residents that ignorance of the law would not shield offenders. But with the exit of the minister, locals say the campaign has lost steam and are urging her successor to revive the initiative without delay.
Globally, the United Nations estimates that nearly four million women have endured breast ironing, describing it as one of the most underreported forms of gender-based violence. Medical experts in Nigeria echo the danger, stressing that beyond the excruciating pain, the practice causes irreversible damage to breast tissue, hampers breastfeeding, and leaves behind deep psychological scars. “Breast ironing causes hematoma formation within the breast muscles, which may lead to infections and, in severe cases, increase the risk of breast cancer,” warned Dr. Patrick Eze, a medical practitioner.
In Pigba, some residents say the MOU once inspired hope for change. Ruth Ibrahim, the community secretary, said the fading of the campaign is discouraging. “The old women who still believe in the practice are our challenge,” she explained. “If the Minister revisits the MOU, we will mobilise them to understand they are not above the law.” Others, like resident Tuma Usman, blame poverty and fear for its persistence, insisting that empowerment programs must accompany awareness to deter parents from resorting to the practice.
Even some elderly women in Pigba admit complicity. One resident, who requested anonymity, confessed to once ironing her daughter’s breasts before the awareness campaigns reached the community. “We did not know it was harmful. It was a tradition passed on by our grandparents,” she said. For many, this admission reflects how deeply rooted the practice remains despite warnings of its dangers.
Civil society groups have also kept up the pressure. Halima Oiza Sadiq, Executive Director of Chachavivi Women and Girl Child Development Foundation, described the persistence of breast ironing in the FCT as unacceptable. “We have beautiful laws and policies, but enforcement is weak. You cannot prosecute someone who does not know the law exists,” she argued. Sadiq is now advocating stronger collaboration with religious leaders, traditional authorities, and youth groups to amplify the campaign against the practice.
For Pigba residents, the battle is far from over. They want the Ministry of Women Affairs to revisit the 2024 agreement, strengthen law enforcement, and expand interventions across the FCT. Figba message is clear: every girl deserves to grow up safe, healthy, and free from cultural practices that endanger her body and compromise her future.
By Grace Olaogun
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