Introduction
The movement to empower women in Cameroon continues, and Cameroon has made significant strides toward gender equity via international agreements. These include eliminating all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Declaration of Heads of State and Government of the African Union on Equality Between Women and Men, and the Sustainable Development Goals (UN Foundations, 2022).
There is strong evidence that gender equality can promote economic growth. Women’s access to employment and education opportunities lowers the likelihood of household poverty and positively impacts human capital Kabeer. (2012). Despite the supremacy of international and regional agreements, customary law persists and supports discriminatory practices for women in rural areas.
This policy brief will analyze the impact of gender-related policies on women across Cameroon by examining female leadership in political and organizational settings, employment, and incomes. Section 1 will briefly describe recent changes in Gender policy across Cameroon; Section 2 will analyze the impact of such changes on socio-economic indicators; and Section 3 will provide actionable recommendations to support gender equality across Cameroon.
Continued violations of women’s rights in Cameroon.
Persistent discriminatory legislation, violence against women, harmful traditional practices such as early and forced marriage, limited access to education, public and political life, and health services. Cameroon’s laws remain discriminatory towards women. Despite observations and recommendations made by the CEDAW committee to the Cameroon government in 2000 and 2009, no legal reforms have been undertaken to protect women’s rights. Customary law is applied alongside statutory customary law, creating numerous contradictions and inconsistencies.
Cameroon’s laws remain discriminatory towards women.
Despite observations and recommendations made by the CEDAW committee to the Cameroon government in 2000 and 2009, no legal reforms have been undertaken to protect women’s rights. Customary law is applied alongside statutory customary law, creating numerous contradictions and inconsistencies. Article 361 of the penal code, adultery is systematically punishable if committed by a woman but only when committed by a man if it is “habitual” or occurs in the marital home. articles 337 and 339, abortion is criminalized, except if the mother’s life is in danger or if pregnancy results from rape. Article 296 states that rape is criminalized unless it takes place within marriage. In addition, the minimum age for marriage is 15 years for girls and 18 years for boys Article 52. Girls under 18 are not required to consent to marriage. Parental consent is sufficient. Article 49. Some policies don’t favor women’s rights; for example, women are not entitled to full use and enjoyment of property in Articles 1421 and 1428. the husband has the right to administer communal marital property, thereby giving him the right to sell or mortgage the couple’s property without his wife’s consent. These provisions are contrary to the Constitution. Articles 108 and 215, the husband has the sole right to determine the family domicile and, in the interest of the household and the children, may prevent his wife from taking employment(regulation 81-02, implementing the civil code).
Impacts of changes in policy on women.
Education: education is one of the most important means of empowering women with the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. Although the Cameroon penal code penalizes families that have the financial means to send children to school but do not, there is no scheme to support girls who cannot afford secondary education. More than 65.4% of the rural population lives below the national poverty line.
Under-representation in political life: women are still employed mainly in the informal sector, although labor law guarantees gender equality by providing equal employment and wages for similar work. Agriculture and household services. Women are thus generally excluded from social security benefits. Sexual harassment in the workplace is very common and is not punished by law. Following the September 2007 elections, out of 180 parliamentarians elected, only 25(13.8%) were women. In Cameroon, 30.39% of those affected by conflict are women; only 4.21% of the population perceive women as relevant actors in conflict management. The number of women in political positions compared to men is alarmingly disproportionate.
Access to health: Health services remain inadequate, particularly in rural areas, in the face of the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and very high maternal mortality rates(1000 per 100000 births in 2005) HIV is more prevalent amongst women (4.3%) the men (1.2%). child mortality rates are also very high (close to 9% in 2007) due to a lack of post-parental care. Due to the criminalization of abortions and the lack of sex education, non-medicalized abortions are common, endangering women’s lives.
Recommendations:
women should be given a platform to participate in political issues: by having an equal presence of women in politics or leadership positions, the interest and values of females will be better represented on the political level. Almost all peace mechanisms and processes in Cameroon do not include women. This suggests a great need to build the capacity of all key actors and to build the capacity of all key actors and to highlight the particular, specific, and considerable nature of women’s contribution to conflict resolution processes. on 16th November 2017 government launched its first National Action Plan to implement UNSC resolution 1325 for 3 years (2018-2020).
Reduce the pay gap between men and women: throughout the world, women work for long hours of unpaid domestic jobs in some places, and females do not have the right to own land, earn income, and progress in their careers due to job discrimination. The pay gap between men and women should be reduced, particularly in the private sector, including the problem of occupational segregation of women and ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
End child marriage: child marriage most affect girls and is mainly fueled by gender inequality and poverty. This practice violates human rights as it prohibits women from making life decisions. Girls forced into marriage may be sexually harassed by their partners and have an increased risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, etc. Girls Not Brides is one of the most prominent organizations working to raise awareness on these issues by partnering with more than 1000 civil societies across the globe.
Give lady access to education: Although there has been a significant boost in girls’ enrollment in schools, much progress still needs to be made. According to the World Bank, better-educated women tend to be healthier, participate in the formal labor market, earn higher incomes, and marry later. By receiving an education, girls can develop fundamental skills and gain invaluable knowledge to thrive in their careers and make decisions that will improve their lives.
Assure girls and women have access to health facilities: Take a specific example like menstrual hygiene. Teaching girls about menstrual hygiene. The women most affected by ineffective menstrual care live in poverty. Often girls stay home from school during their periods because they do not have access to sanitary products or their schools lack the necessary facilities. Young women in refugee camps also have difficulty accessing safe and secure hygienic products. Women’s health should be prioritized.
Conclusion
Gender policy in Cameroon is an issue, as women face a lot of inequality in one way or the other. As stated above, women face challenges such as relatively low access to education, especially in rural areas. These ladies are sent into early marriage, stopping the future aspirations of women who want to impact their community. Looking at the political domain, men still dominate. Everyone has a role to play in boosting the economy women aren’t exempted. Thus improvement should be made to women’s education level, women should be given the space to venture into politics, and women’s health should be prioritized given that they are very liable to illness. Women play a vital role in economic growth. Let’s value our women and put an end to inequality.
Henri Kouam is the Founder/CEO of CEPI, a consultant for the North American Treaty Alliance (NATO) and an Economic Consultant at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), based in the United Kingdom. He regularly contributes to locaql news papers such as Defi Actuel, Cameroon Business Today and the CRTV. He previously comnsulted for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation across francophone Africa on th Demographic Divident and Knowledge Transfer Programmes.
