Infertility

With a value of 1.4%, Cameroon presents the lowest prevalence rate of FGM/C among the countries with available data1.

At the sub-national level, however, FGM/C rates vary significantly across regional lines.

While FGM/C is not practiced in the North-West, South and Littoral regions of the country, 5% of women have been circumcised in the Extreme- North.

With regards to women characteristics, the highest prevalence rates are found among women aged 20-24 (3%), women without education (5%), Muslim women (6%) and women belonging to the Arabe-Choa/Peuls/Haoussa/Kanuri ethic group (13%).

Low levels of knowledge about the practice also exist: only 33% of women have heard about FGM/C.

This percentage is slightly higher for men (42%).

There are marked variations in knowledge by residence, education, ethnicity and residence.

More than 45% of female respondents in urban areas have heard of FGM/C, compared with 18% in rural areas.

In general, women with secondary education are more than twice as likely as women with no education or primary education to have heard about the practice.

Levels of knowledge among ethnic groups vary from 15% for women of the Adamaoua-Oubangui group to 45% for women belonging to the Cotier/Ngoe/Oroko group.

2004 DHS data indicated that 84% of women aged 15-49 in Cameroon believed the practice of FGM/C should be discontinued.

Support for the practice is higher among rural (1...

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