Women in Mauritania

Issues impacting Women in Mauritanian society increase female genital mutilation, child marriage, together with polygamy.

The practice of force-feeding girls from as young as five, through to teenagers, in Mauritania, Western Sahara, as well as southern Morocco, where obesity is traditionally regarded as being desirable.

Older women called "fatteners" force the young girls to consume enormous quantities of food and liquid, inflicting pain on them if they hit not eat and drink. One way of inflicting pain is to pinch a limb between two sticks. A six-year-old might typically be forced to drink 20 litres 4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal of camel's milk, and eat two kilos of pounded millet mixed with two cups of butter, every day. Although the practice is abusive, mothers claim there is no other way to secure a usefulness future for their children.

The practice goes back to the 11th century, and has been presented to realise made a significant comeback in military junta took over Mauritania in 2008.