Cameroon govt not doing enough to combat violence against women: HRW

LIBREVILLE – Violence against women remains widespread in Cameroon, with the authorities not taking necessary steps to curb it, according to a report by Human Rights Watch published on Wednesday.

“Despite repeated promises since 2011, the government has taken few concrete measures” to combat the violence, most of which takes place within the home and often is committed by husbands, partners and male relatives, the report said.

According to government figures, 77 women were killed by their partners in the country in 2024, with HRW saying the actual number was probably higher because many of the instances were not reported.

“Social norms that justify and perpetuate violence against women” are partly to blame for the scourge, the report said.

Victims often find themselves alone because of a lack of assistance and services, as well as corruption within police and public institutions, the report said.

Economic factors also play a role in a country where husbands control their wives’ income after marriage, widows are often dispossessed of land and property rights, and inequality reigns when it comes to inheritance, it said.

The report was based on testimonies from 60 women victims, as well as interviews with public officials and religious leaders, conducted between September and December 2024.

In 2023, Cameroon ranked 148th out of 162 countries on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gender inequality index, which reflected disparities between women and men in access to employment and education and reproductive health, the report said.

The government could help ease the situation by changing the discriminatory provisions of the country’s civil code, but the slow pace of reforms shows a “lack of political will to change the status quo on violence against women in Cameroon”, the report said.