Leblouh or gavage[1] is the practice of force-feeding young women, including girls as young as five, in Mauritania, where obesity was traditionally regarded as desirable. Especially prevalent in rural areas, and having its roots in Berber tradition, leblouh is practiced to increase chances of marriage in a society where high body volume used to be a sign of wealth. The practice goes back to the 11th century, and has been reported to have made a significant comeback after a military junta took over the country in 2008.[2]
Older women called "fatteners" force the young girls to consume enormous quantities of food and liquid, including their own vomit[2], and inflicting pain on them if they don't 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 liters of camel's milk, and eat two kilos of pounded millet mixed with two cups of butter, every day.[2][3]
The younger generations of males in Mauritania now see fattening negatively.[3]