Breast ironing tradition targeted in Cameroon. Every morning
before school, nine-year-old Terisia Techu would undergo a
painful procedure. Her mother would take a burning hot pestle
straight out of a fire and use it to press her breasts. With
tears in her eyes as she recalls what it was like, Terisia tells
CNN that one day the pestle was so hot, it burned her, leaving a
mark. Now 18, she is still traumatized. Her mother, Grace,
denies the incident. But she proudly demonstrates the method she
used on her daughter for several weeks, saying the goal was to
make her less desirable to boys -- and stave off pregnancy. A
study found that one in four girls in Cameroon have been
affected by the practice. The U.S. State Department, in its 2010
human rights report on Cameroon, cited news reports and said
breast ironing "victimized numerous girls in the country" and in
some cases "resulted in burns, deformities, and psychological
problems." There are more than 200 ethnic groups in Cameroon
with different norms and custom