Listening to African Voices - FPZ

Table 27: Socio-demographic characteristics of immigrants from CameroonSocio-demographicvariableswomen(n = 41)men(n = 69)total sample(n = 110)Age (in years)Mean (standard deviation) 32.0 (5.3) 31.7 (4.7) 31.8 (4.9)Range 22-42 23-53 22-53Average education level (in years)Mean (standard deviation) 15.7 (3.9) 17.4 (3.4) 16.8 (3.7)Range 5-25 8-25 5-25ReligionMuslim 4 (9.8%) 3 (4.3%) 7 (6.4%)Christian 37 (90.2%) 62 (89.9%) 99 (90.0%)Traditional religion 0 (0.0%) 1 (1.4%) 1 (0.9%)None believers 0 (0.0%) 3 (4.3%) 3 (2,7%)Social statusMarried (monogamous) 16 (40.0%) 16 (23.5%) 32 (29.6%)Married (polygamous) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)Separated/divorced/widowed 2 (4.8%) 3 (4.4%) 5 (4.6%)Never been married 22 22 (55.0%) 49 (72.1%) 71 (65.7%)Migrated from a(n)Urban area 33 (80.5%) 54 (84.4%) 87 (82.9%)Rural area 8 (19.5%) 10 (15.6%) 18 (17.1%)Residence statusUnbefristet (indefinite residence permission) 10 (24.4%) 10 (14.7%) 20 (18.3%)Befristet (temporary residence permission) 24 (58.5%) 48 (70.6%) 72 (66.1%)Duldung (toleration) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)Others/no papers/does not answer 2 (4.9%) 4 (5.8%) 6 (1.8%)German nationality 5 (12.2%) 6 (8.8%) 11 (10.1%)Time spent in Germany (in months)Mean (standard deviation) 81.9 (43.3) 82.6 (50.0) 82.3 (47.4)Range 7-216 1-240 1-2405.5.4.3. Women and girls concernedOut of the 41 women interviewed, two reported that theyhad undergone FGM/C. They are middle aged (38 and45 years), one of the group of the Fulani and one of theBamoun. Both of them are Muslims and their FGM/C wascarried out by a traditional practitioner. Their descriptionsindicate type I or type II procedures. A 32 year old keyinformed interviewed during the qualitative phase also underwentFGM/C. She also is from the group of the Bamounand gave testimony of her experience:“[…] my clitoris was cut when I was six years old. Mygrandmother took me to a traditional woman in myfather’s village and she did it to me. All what I rememberis that my mother was against it and unfortunately forme, at that time, my dad and mum had separated andso I was left home with my grandmother who wantedme to be circumcised. She took me secretly without mymother’s knowledge. I was the only person when I wentto the lady’s house; I thought I was going to visit the oldlady. I can’t remember what happened after. I had lots ofpain between my legs and my grandmother said that Ihave become a real woman and that my father would bevery happy if he found out.[….] Personally, I would say it’sa bad practice, I wouldn’t advise anyone to go throughit. It’s a trauma even when I think about it, I get so angryand scared of the people who are still doing it.” (keyinformant of Cameroonian origin)Only 30 of the 110 participants of Cameroonian origin haddaughters. The total of daughters reported was 37 girls;30 of them living in Hamburg. None of the daughters hadundergone FGM/C and all but one participant said thatthey had no intention of subjecting their daughter(s) to thepractice. One woman from the group of the Hausa said that54Listening to African Voices