- TRAININGS.
2.1 TRAINING OF TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES.
The Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy carried out several trainings of women leaders across the seven divisions of the Northwest Region, male political leaders, youth groups judiciary amongst others. This trainings for women and traditional leaders had as objective to empower women leaders and traditional authorities with skills and knowledge on human rights, rule of law, governance and leadership as a means to promote social Cohesion. After the training, the women and men also continued to trained other people and to mobilize grassroot women to take an active part on strategies to address the conflict in the region
2.2 ORGANISED PRESS CAFES
Within the framework of the Project ‘Enhancing Protection Access to Women and Children Victims of trafficking in Person in the Littoral and Northwest Regions Project Site: Wouri Division Littoral, Mezam Division Northwest’ the Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy (CHRAPA), organized three Press Cafés at its Conference Hall on the 2nd of March 2022 on the theme- on Trafficking and Women’s rights, the 25nd of June on the Legal Instrument -National and International Laws combating trafficking and on the 16th of September a Press Café that gave practitioners an opportunity to share best practices. The Press Café provided a safe space for civil societies, members of the community and the press to discuss trafficking with the objective of generating ideas on how to better use the law and how to engage communities to combat trafficking.
- PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
- i) Complaint Documentation and Follow-up/ Case Management of Violations During the course of the years the Paralegal component of the ‘Access to Justice’ programme, recorded 300 complaints. Out of the 300 Complaints, over 75% came from women victims of violence and the rest came from other members of the society.. A significant proportion of the complaints in Belo, Ndop, Bafut and Santa could not be handled due to increase insecurity that has caused most of the villager to fled. A majority of the cases concerning women were related to gender-based violence and included but not limited to; battery, assault, domestic abuse, land conflicts, desertion, denial of inheritance, sexual and emotional abuse, rape, denial of inheritance, trafficking in persons to mention the least.
While the rest of the cases were either cases of assault by the military or by gun men. Unfortunately due to the generalized state of lawlessness in the region and the breakdown of the justice system in most communities, most complaints could not be follow up. However, the paralegal unit successfully provided legal support to 3 children who were victims of rape. Other victims, receive counseling, and other forms of individual protection assistance. With regards to the current socio-political crisis in the Northwest Region, CHRAPA also followed up and documented several incidences of human rights abuses. Arbitrary arrest have become rife with many young people arrested incommunicado on grounds of mere suspicion. There were many horrible acts committed by the Security Forces as well as the Non State Armed Groups on each other and also on the civilians. Several people both military, non state armed group members and civilians were killed and their heads cut off. As earlier mentioned, most victims are unable to follow up their cases. Many have resorted to contained their trauma and to remain silence because all acts of torture, arbitrary arrest and detention as well as killings are justified under the terrorism law. Soldiers who committed these atrocities have never been tried and above all, the Cameroon government through the government spoke person has provocatively congratulated the Armed Forces for their “sense of professionalism and efforts to bring calm and order in the Anglophone Regions”.
CHRAPA in very strong terms have continued to condemn the excesses of the military and has call on the government of Cameroon to take its responsibility as the duty bearer to protect it’s citizens. As a human rights organization, we have clearly observed beyond reasonable doubt that crimes against humanity are being committed in Cameroon by the government forces right up to this moment that we are concluding this report. If care is not taken, given the wanton killings and destruction of property, the world will sit to watch another Rwanda Genocide replay itself in Cameroon.
- ii) CHRAPA within the year, with support from the United Nations Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, provided direct support to 50 victims/survivors of trafficking in both the Northwest and the Littoral region. 25 girls, 15 boys and 10 women were supported through case management. Several community awareness campaigns were also carried out on trafficking. Markets, hotels, and bus stops where most trafficked victims are often found were targeted for sensitization.
