TheCable

Uju Kennedy, minister of women affairs, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with community leaders in an Abuja village to eliminate breast ironing practices.

Speaking on Saturday during a visit to Pygba community in Abuja, Kennedy said the measure was part of the renewed hope initiative to improve the welfare of women and girls in Nigeria.

The minister had earlier called for an end to the “barbaric practices” of breast ironing in Kpaduma and Pygba communities in Abuja.

During her visit, she distributed 60 sewing and 50 grinding machines to empower the women in the community.

She said the items would enable the women to become “independent, support their husbands and also play active roles as stakeholders in national development”.

“The ministry is strongly inspired by the policy thrust of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which seeks to give women their voice as active players in nation building and to ensure the welfare of the girl child,” she said.

“It is very unacceptable to subject our girls to this barbaric practice and Mr. President has been briefed and he frowns at it.

“The women affairs ministry will use this community as a pilot scheme to address other social vices prevalent within the FCT such as burying of new born babies with their dead mother and other negative norms.”

She commended traditional leaders of the community for organising campaigns to create awareness on the negative impact of breast ironing and other forms of harmful traditional practices on women and girls.

Kande Ilya, one of the women who performed breast ironing on her daughter, said they “were blinded by the age-long traditional belief that when a girl’s breast is ironed, it will make her less attractive to men”.

Ilya added that poverty is a contributing factor to the harmful traditional practices inflicted on girls in most of the communities.