Listening to African Voices - FPZ

5.7.2.4. Low awareness and indifference of menAmong the main practicing groups in francophone WestAfrican countries, namely the Mandinga, Malinke, Bambara,Dioula and the Fula, FGM/C is considered to be “women’sbusiness”. Fathers are often not consulted before a girl issubjected to the practice and the act is only communicatedto them afterwards.“… it depends on the family [who decides on how to circumcisethe daughter]. The father is often not informed.It is done by the grandmother who informs only themother without considering the opinion of the girl.” (keyinformant and Dioula of Ivorian origin)The findings from section 5.4 illustrate that a solid proportionof men perceive FGM/C as an advantageous practiceand/or that they have little or no knowledge of how thepractice is carried out and what negative outcomes canderive from it. As a consequence, they don’t take sufficientprecautions to protect their daughters even if they arepersonally not interested in seeing the practice continue.Within practicing families, fathers who have poor knowledgeof FGM/C and an indifferent attitude towards it can be considereda risk factor for daughters even when these fathershave no personal intention of subjecting their daughter tothe practice.“It is women’s business. My two daughters were circumcisedwithout my being informed. It was only when itwas done that I was told. My position is that this practiceshould be abandoned.” (man of Burkinabe origin)“I wished for my daughter not to be circumcised, but mywife [living in Guinea] and her mother have already doneit. I am here; there is nothing I could have done. Theyonly told me after they had already gone ahead with theact.” (man of Guinean origin)5.7.3. Are girls of half African and half European origin atrisk of being subjected to FGM/C?The findings revealed that girl children of “mixed couples”are generally not at risk of being subjected to FGM/C. Duringthe data collection, two profiles of immigrants living in arelationship with a European partner appeared:• The highly integrated immigrants, often intellectuals, whoare in most cases married to European women of the sameintellectual background. They consider traditional practicessuch as FGM/C to be harmful and protect their daughtereffectively from it even if their extended family membersin Africa continue it. Their daughters are not at risk.• The rather poorly integrated migrants, often with noprofession, who engage in a relationship with a Germanpartner frequently with the motive of obtaining a residencepermit. The risk for their daughters can be consideredquasi non-existent as well. Even if the African parentis in favour of the practice, he or she is usually aware thatthe European partner would not accept it and insteadreport the case to the police. This could endanger thestatus of the residence permit of the African parent andat the same time the support given to his or her familyin the country of origin. As most immigrants constituteone of the principal sources of income for their families inAfrica, they cannot put their residence status at stake. Oneresearcher put it in very simple words “Papers are alwaysmore important than traditions”. By the same token, itis unlikely that immigrants would take the risk of loosingtheir children by committing an act considered a crime inthe host country.“They [the daughters of mixed couples] would not beat risk: not here or elsewhere. They will not do it due tothe fear of losing their children. Africans, the way I knowthem, will do and agree to anything in order not to losecontact with their children. Even when some, very fewof them, still believe in it, as long as they are in a mixedrelationship, they will never try it.” (woman researcher ofNigerian origin)• Another aspect of the mixed couple dynamic is that mostchildren with one African parent are habitually raised asGermans. They grow up totally detached from their Africanorigins. Another researcher summed up her observationsas follows:“Most of these mixed couples actually come togetherbecause of immigration issues. The children born as a resultof these relationships or marriages are automaticallyregarded as Germans and not as Africans or half Africans.So the African culture and traditions do not affect themat all. Very few parents actually allow their daughtersto have contact with people in Africa, so they rarely goto Africa and this means less risk for them.” (womanresearcher of Kenyan origin)The interviews with several participants of half African/halfEuropean origin confirmed these observations. All of themshowed interest in the African culture and their origins, butperceived themselves to be Germans and had learnt aboutFGM/C through the media or the book by Waris Dirie. Justlike any other German, they perceived FGM/C as a violentpractice that has no reason for being.80Listening to African Voices