Five Cruel and Illogical Traditions Against Women in the World
- U-Report
VIVA – Social and cultural life has a big influence on the lives of women all over the world. Violence or crime against women is rooted in the imbalance of power relations between men and women.
Although women's rights have been campaigned for for a long time, there are still some community groups who still uphold traditions that tend to exploit children, women, and the mentally. Here are some of the cruelest and illogical traditions from around the world.
1. Forced Fattening of Underage Girls
Ilustrasi konsumsi permen dan makanan manis berlebih
- Freepik: wayhomestudio
Mauritania, West Africa has a tradition in which girls are forced to eat high-calorie and excessive foods to appear attractive to potential suitors. According to HuffPost, this practice called leblouh or gavage has been going on for centuries, especially in drought-prone areas.
Girls who are overweight are considered more attractive than those who are skinny. Sadly, this tradition begins when girls are six months old. Not only with food, but girls are also sometimes given steroids to animal fattening drugs to gain weight.
2. Hit the Breast with Hot Iron
Ilustrasi payudara wanita.
- Pixabay
For mothers in Cameroon, breast growth in children is a shame. It is feared that this will lead to sexual harassment. According to UN Women, mothers in Cameroon and other African countries beat their daughters in the chest.
Sadistically, they will use a hot iron or stone to stop the growth of breasts. As a result, the victims experience physical and psychological problems, such as the formation of cysts, deformed breasts, and inverted nipples, to the point of not being able to breastfeed their children.
3. Cut Fingers as a Symbol of Condolences
Tradisi Potong Jari.
- http://hanyatauaja.blogspot.com/
The Dani tribe in Papua also has a very extreme tradition called iki palek. This tradition is carried out using women having to cut their fingers as a sign of loss and loyalty when a loved one dies.
Fortunately, this extreme tradition has been banned there. It's just that, if you want to visit the Dani tribe in Papua, you can still see the remnants of the cruelty of this tradition in the old women in the Dani Tribe.
4. Wear a Disc in the Mouth
Suku di Ethiopia
- Tangkapan Layar
The women of the Mursi and Surma tribes of Ethiopia have a painful beauty tradition. Women in this tribe will use large wooden or clay discs or local people known as Cakram on their lips as a form of beauty and status. The first disc is usually inserted when a girl enters puberty.
For this disc to be inserted, usually two to four lower teeth will be extracted. Sometime later, these discs will be replaced with larger discs. This will be repeated until a larger disc can be inserted into the mouth.
5. Isolation of Menstruating Women
Menstruasi
- Pinkvilla
Some parts of Nepal require women who are menstruating or have recently given birth to be isolated or transferred to cattle pens.
They will live with pets, such as cows and buffalo. This tradition, called chappati, forbids women from entering their own homes and touching anything.
In the practice of this tradition, it is not uncommon for women to be locked up in dirty warehouses filled with insects and excrement and an annoying stench all the time. The reason for this cruel practice is that women are considered dirty when they are menstruating.
