FGM in Cameroon.

In 1994 group discussions and individual interviews with 468 women and young girls were held in Cameroons Extreme North Province South West Province and capital area to obtain data on female genital mutilation practices. Precise incidence data on this practice could not be obtained due to the refusal of hospitals and health centers to complete questionnaires. However interviews suggested the incidence of this practice is about 40% in the South West Province and substantially higher in the Extreme North. All Moslem women but only 63% of Christians had undergone this procedure. Only 1.3% of procedures were performed in hospitals; the remainder were performed by traditional practitioners. Although circumcised women reported hemorrhage and infection as complications of the procedure they minimized its health consequences. Most respondents reported they followed the practice out of respect for tradition. Young women were more receptive to abandonment of female genital mutilation than their older counterparts; however most women expressed concerns about the potential loss of circumcision-associated rituals such as the decoration of their houses and the Monekim dance. Opinion makers were equally divided in their attitudes and generally unaware that several international agencies have condemned female circumcision.