There’s an urgent need for targeted action to address the challenges faced by women and girls in crisis areas of Cameroon, Right Livelihood, alongside the “Association pour un Développement Participatif et Autogéré” (ALDEPA), said in a joint statement at the 55th Human Rights Council in Geneva. ALDEPA, founded by Right Livelihood Laureate Marthe Wandou in 1998, supports women’s and girls’ wellbeing in the country.
You can read the entire statement here.
The Statement took place during the adoption of the outcome of Cameroon’s Universal Periodic Review. Despite accepting numerous State recommendations surrounding the plight of Cameroonian women and girls, gender inequality persists in the country.
“Women and girls throughout Cameroon continue to face legal and practical barriers to gender equality, but those living in crisis areas live in particularly vulnerable situations,” said Right Livelihood and ALDEPA.
The organisations were particularly concerned by Cameroon’s failure to implement targeted objectives for crisis areas within its national strategy against gender-based violence. They were similarly dismayed by the government’s ongoing inability to target disparities in education access.
To address these failures, the organisations called for Cameroon to look beyond States’ recommendations, highlighting the crucial role of civil society in tackling gender inequality. They specifically recommended Cameroon consider gender mainstreaming in policies, equal representation in governance processes and meaningful participation in peace negotiations.
“ALDEPA and other civil society organisations stand ready to contribute to the implementation efforts,” the statement said, adding, “[we] look forward to suggesting further actions that the government could implement to break more obstacles towards gender equality for all Cameroonian women.”
