Canadian town holds vigil for family deported to Cameroon

A prayer vigil will be held in Montreal, Canada today for a Cameroonian family facing deportation on Thursday.

Hilary Fuh-Cham says he risks being killed for refusing to adhere to traditional tribal obligations, and claims his wife and two daughters risk genital mutilation.

"The family has statements from clergy people and individuals attesting to the validity of the danger they would face should they return - harassment, torture, death - not to mention female genital mutilation," Wendy de Souza of the St. John Brebeuf Lasalle - Social Justice Group told QMI Agency in an interview.

"The people from the tribal village they come from have been looking for them since they left, they now know where they are. We do not know what more the court wants from the family in terms of proof."

The stay of deportation hearing for the family, which has been fighting for refugee status for four years, is scheduled for Tuesday, and de Souza says supporters "are hoping and praying for the best outcome, but are preparing for the worst.

"We believe that the Appeal on Humanitarian & Compassionate grounds currently being reviewed has a good chance of being accepted, so the Stay of Deportation should be granted."

The Social Justice Group says a petition containing 1,951 signatures denouncing the deportation was recently submitted to the House of Commons for review by LaSalle-Emard MP Helene LeBlanc.

In a letter to Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, Leblanc wrote, "They are upstanding citizens who are heavily involved in the community. I am pleading with Minister Blaney to show some compassion and sympathy, and to take action to avoid a tragedy."

According to the UN, around 20% of the country's female population are victims of female genital mutilation, an experience that can occur at various ages - at birth, during adolescence, just before marriage or after the birth of their first child.