|
The story says the stones are heated in a fire and pressed on the breasts as they are developing. I suppose the combination of heat and pressure could break up the fat deposits as they're forming, and it could easily damage the ducting tissues or developing mammary glands, which aren't well protected in prepubescent girls.
My guess is that it doesn't do what it's supposed to do anyway. Rapists rape for a complex combination of reasons, only one of which is sexual attraction. Babies only a few months old and 80 year old women are raped.
It's stigmatizaion of female sexuality, a belief that women should not be sexual or enjoy their sexuality, the same motive as genital mutilation. Instead of addressing the actual problem--inappropriate sexual aggression in many males--they punish the potential victims as a preventive measure.
Ths really underscores the need to constantly be reevaluating traditions to determine if they serve any useful function. That something has always been done a certain way does not mean that it should be done that way.
Gilda
|